North Cork Junior A Hurling Championship


The North Cork Junior A Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Avondhu Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1925 for junior hurling teams in North Cork.
The series of games begin in May, with the championship culminating with the final in the autumn. The championship includes a knock-out stage and a "back door" for teams defeated in the first round.
The North Cork Junior Championship is an integral part of the wider Cork Junior Hurling Championship. The winners and runners-up of the North Cork championship join their counterparts from the other seven divisions to contest the county championship.
Clyda Rovers are the title-holders after defeating Harbour Rovers by 2-14 to 0-19 in the final.

History

Development

The Cork Junior Hurling Championship had been contested on a countywide basis since 1895, however, an increase in the number of participating clubs resulted in a restructuring of the entire championship. The North Cork Board was established in 1925 with other divisions in other parts of the county created in the years that followed. Since then the individual junior championships were organised on a divisional basis with the division winners progressing to contest the county series of games. The first North Cork Junior Championship was played in 1925.
In 2007 the championship was split in two with the top teams competing in the newly named North Cork Premier Junior Hurling Championship. Following this change the North Cork Junior A Hurling Championship was contested by the second tier teams. This system lasted until 2014 when the premier championship reverted to being called the North Cork JAHC.

Team dominance

were the first team to enjoy multiple successes in the championship. They won four titles between 1925 and 1936, while also becoming the first club to retain the championship.
Near neighbours and local rivals Ballyhea and Newtownshandrum enjoyed a dominant period from 1939 until 1968. The two clubs shared 14 championship titles during this period. Castletownroche also had their greatest period during this time, winning four titles between 1954 and 1960.
Since the 1960s the championship was dominated by Kildorrery and Kilworth, who regularly won titles in each of the following decades. Kilworth claimed all of their 11 championships in a 45-year period between 1961 and 2006 to leave them in the top position on the all-time roll of honour. Their hegemony was closely challenged by Kildorrery who won eight of their nine championship titles between 1962 and 1988. At this time Fermoy emerged as a force, winning five championships between 1987 and 1999. Their county final defeat in 2000 brought the curtain down on their greatest era in the competition.
The first decade of the 21st century was dominated by Charleville. After a 15-year hiatus they claimed their fifth ever title in 2001. Four more championships followed between 2002 and 2011.

Format history

For the first seventy years the championship was played as a single elimination tournament whereby once a team lost they were eliminated from the championship. Since the late 1990s the championship has seen the introduction of a “back door” system which provides each team with a minimum of two games before exiting the championship.

Qualification for subsequent competitions

The North Cork Championship winners and runners-up qualify for the subsequent Cork Junior Hurling Championship. Prior to 2017 only the winners were permitted to progress to the county championship.

The championship

Overview

The North Cork Junior Championship is effectively a knockout tournament with pairings drawn at random — there are no seeds.
Each match is played as a single leg. If a match ends as a draw there is a period of extra time, however, if both sides are still level at the end of extra time a replay takes place and so on until a winner is found.

Participating teams

TeamLocationColours
BallycloughBallyclough Green and yellow
BallygiblinMitchelstown Red and white
BallyhoolyBallyhooly Blue and yellow
ButtevantButtevant Black and yellow
CastletownrocheCastletownroche Green and yellow
Clyda RoversMourneabbey Black and yellow
DoneraileDoneraile Red and white
DrominaDromina Blue and yellow
FermoyFermoy Black and yellow
Harbour RoversGlanworth Green and white
KilshannigGlantane Blue and yellow
KilworthKilworth Red and white
Liscarroll-Churchtown GaelsLiscarroll Green,white and yellow
NewtownshandrumNewtownshandrum Green and yellow
ShanballymoreShanballymore Red and black

Roll of honour

#TeamWinsWinning Years
1Kilworth111961, 1966, 1967, 1971, 1980, 1983, 1991, 1993, 1995, 2005, 2006
2Ballyhea101930, 1949, 1950, 1953, 1955, 1958, 1959, 1965, 1975, 1976
3Newtownshandrum91939, 1940, 1944, 1946, 1951, 1952, 1968, 1992, 2013
3Charleville91945, 1970, 1974, 1986, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2008, 2011
3Kildorrery91962, 1963, 1969, 1972, 1973, 1977, 1984, 1988, 2012
4Castletownroche81928, 1954, 1956, 1957, 1960, 1978, 1979, 1982
4Fermoy81941, 1964, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1999, 2009
5Dromina61927, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2014, 2017
6Milford51925, 1933, 1935, 1936, 1981
6Shanballymore51931, 1937, 1942, 1996, 1997
7Clyda Rovers31985, 1989, 2019
8Oldcastletown21938, 1943
8Doneraile21947, 1948
8Harbour Rovers22015, 2016
8Liscarroll21932, 1934
9Churchtown11929
9Ballygiblin12004
9Buttevant12010
9Mallow11926

List of finals

YearWinnersScoreRunners-upScore
1925MilfordBallymagooley-
1926MallowCharleville-
1927Mallow8-2Dromina4-0-
1928Castletownroche3-3Ballyhea2-4-
1929ChurchtownKillavullen-
1930Ballyhea2-5Shanballymore1-1-
1931Shanballymore4-1Liscarroll1-1-
1932Liscarroll4-5Oldcastletown2-3-
1933Milford4-02Mitchelstown3-04-
1934Mitchelstown2-02Liscarroll2-01-
1935Milford4-02Oldcastletown1-00-
1936Milford6-03Mitchelstown3-05-
1937Shanballymore2-06Ballyhea2-03-
1938Oldcastletown3-06Mallow2-03-
1939Newtownshandrum6-06Shanballymore3-04-
1940Newtownshandrum5-03Shanballymore3-03-
1941Fermoy10-05Newtownshandrum2-04-
1942ShanballymoreLiscarroll-
1943OldcastletownBallyhea-
1944Newtownshandrum4-07Mitchelstown4-01-
1945Charleville4-06Ballyhooly3-01-
1946Newtownshandrum6-03Ballyhooly2-02-
1947Doneraile5-10Ballyhea3-04-
1948Doneraile2-05Ballyhea0-03-
1949Ballyhea4-04Doneraile2-05-
1950Ballyhea7-05Castletownroche0-01-
1951Newtownshandrum5-09Doneraile4-03-
1952Newtownshandrum4-08Castletownroche2-04-
1953Ballyhea6-05Castletownroche3-06-
1954Castletownroche1-11Ballyhea2-03-
1955Ballyhea6-05Castletownroche2-03-
1956Castletownroche5-06Allow Rovers1-05-
1957Castletownroche4-05Clyda Rovers2-04-
1958Ballyhea3-07Doneraile4-03-
1959Ballyhea4-06Castletownroche3-04-
1960Castletownroche7-05Allow Rovers4-03-
1961Kilworth4-09Kildorrery2-07-
1962Kildorrery6-07Kilworth7-01-
1963Kildorrery4-05Kilworth3-07-
1964Fermoy6-02Ballyhea4-06-
1965Ballyhea2-11Kilworth3-03-
1966Kilworth4-09Araglin2-04-
1967Kilworth4-07Freemount3-03-
1968Newtownshandrum2-11Kildorrery3-05-
1969Kildorrery3-10Ballyhea0-05-
1970Charleville4-11Liscarroll2-08-
1971Kilworth4-10Liscarroll2-09-
1972Kildorrery3-11Kilworth2-09-
1973Kildorrery4-18Charleville7-07-
1974Charleville2-04Ballyhea1-06-
1975Ballyhea1-13Kildorrery1-12-
1976Ballyhea1-10Kilworth1-05-
1977Kildorrery5-17Charleville2-09-
1978Castletownroche4-14Kildorrery3-08-
1979Castletownroche2-17Milford3-04-
1980Kilworth4-08Castletownroche1-12-
1981Milford1-12Dromina1-06-
1982Castletownroche4-15Liscarroll0-09-
1983Kilworth4-09Charleville2-06-
1984Kildorrery3-05Charleville1-10-
1985Clyda Rovers1-09Kilworth1-06-
1986Charleville0-12Clyda Rovers0-10-
1987Fermoy2-08Dromina1-06-
1988Kildorrery1-13Dromina1-05-
1989Clyda Rovers0-11Shanballymore0-10-
1990Fermoy3-08Milford1-09-
1991Fermoy1-16Castletownroche1-07-
1992Newtownshandrum2-08Dromina2-07-
1993Kilworth2-11Dromina2-10-
1994Fermoy2-08Kilworth0-06-
1995Kilworth3-14Charleville1-09-
1996Shanballymore4-06Dromina1-11-
1997Shanballymore2-11Kilworth0-12-
1998Dromina4-09Charleville1-15-
1999Fermoy1-13Dromina0-12-
2000Dromina2-12Fermoy1-11-
2001Charleville0-17Dromina2-08-
2002Charleville2-11Dromina0-10-
2003Dromina1-15Ballygiblin0-14-
2004Ballygiblin0-14Kilworth2-06-
2005Kilworth4-17Clyda Rovers1-12-
2006Kilworth1-17Charleville0-12-
2007Charleville1-19Castletownroche0-12-
2008Charleville1-17Fermoy1-12-
2009Fermoy1-10Clyda Rovers0-12-
2010ButtevantChurchtown-
2011Charleville2-12Kildorrery0-10-
2012Kildorrery3-17Harbour Rovers1-10-
2013Newtownshandrum2-16Liscarroll-Churchtown Gaels1-08-
2014Dromina1-18Newtownshandrum0-09-
2015Harbour Rovers1-13Clyda Rovers0-10-
2016Harbour Rovers1-19Ballyhooly2-12-
2017Dromina3-7Ballyhooly1-12
2018Ballygiblin1-15Shanballymore0-12-
2019Clyda Rovers2-14Harbour Rovers0-19

Notes

Teams

By decade

The most successful team of each decade, judged by the number of North Cork Junior A Hurling Championship titles, is as follows:
Top ten longest gaps between successive championship titles:

The double

Two teams have won the North Cork Junior A Hurling Championship and the North Cork Junior A Football Championship in a single year as part of a hurling-Gaelic football double. Fermoy became the first club to win the double when they achieved the feat in 1941. Clyda Rovers became only the second team to complete the double in 1989.
Kildorrery, Mallow, Buttevant and Doneraile also hold the distinction of being dual North Cork Championship winning teams, however, these were not achieved in a single calendar year. Combined teams Glanworth-Harbour Rovers and Ballygiblin-Mitchelstown have also won North Cork titles in both codes.