Cork Senior A Hurling Championship

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Template:SHORTDESC:

Cork Senior A Hurling Championship
Current season or competition:
File:Current event clock.svg 2025 Cork Senior A Hurling Championship
IrishCraobh Iomána Sinsearach A Chorcaí
CodeHurling
Founded2020; 6 years ago (2020)
RegionFile:Colours of Cork.svg Cork (GAA)
TrophyJim Forbes Cup
No. of teams12
Title holdersFile:Colours of Offaly.svg Bride Rovers (1st title)
Most titlesMultiple teams (1 titles)
SponsorsCo-Op Superstores
Official websiteCork GAA

The Cork Senior A Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Co-Op Superstores Cork Senior A Hurling Championship and abbreviated to the Cork SAHC) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Cork County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association from 2020 for the lower-ranking senior hurling teams in the county of Cork in Ireland. It is the second tier overall in the entire Cork hurling championship system.

In its current format, the Cork Senior A Championship begins in early autumn. The 12 participating club teams are drawn into three groups of four teams and play each other in a round-robin system. The three group winners and the three runners-up proceed to the knockout phase that culminates with the final match at Páirc Uí Chaoimh. The winning team is presented with the Jim Forbes Cup.

Bride Rovers are the reigning champions, having beaten Castlelyons by 2-15 to 2-14 in the 2024 final.

History

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Development

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On 26 March 2019, three championship proposals were circulated to Cork club delegates after an expensive review process of the entire Cork championship system. A core element running through all three proposals, put together by the Cork GAA games workgroup, was that there be a group stage of 12 teams, as well as straight relegation and promotion.[1] On 2 April 2019, a majority of 136 club delegates voted for Option A which provided for one round of games played in April and two more in August – all with inter-county players available.[2] The decision meant that, for the first time since 1887, the top tier of Cork football was going to be split in two into the Cork Premier Senior Championship and the Cork Senior A Championship.

Beginnings

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The inaugural championship was scheduled to begin in April 2020, however, it was postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic in Ireland.[3] When the championship resumed, time constraints led to a revision of the format, with the play-offs for the second best and third best third placed teams being abolished. The knockout stage was further reduced, with the two best-ranking teams from the group stage receiving byes to the semi-finals and the other four qualifying teams contesting two lone quarter-finals. The very first match eventually took place on 31 July 2020, with Fr. O'Neill's claiming a 3-16 to 0-18 victory over Kilworth. Declan Dalton scored the very first championship point before Billy Dunne scored the championship's first ever goal.[4] Kilworth became the first team to be relegated when they lost the 2020 relegation playoff to Killeagh.[5]

Regular format

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Group stage

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The 12 teams are divided into three groups of four. Over the course of the group stage, which features one game in April and two games in August, each team plays once against the others in the group, resulting in each team being guaranteed at least three games. Two points are awarded for a win, one for a draw and zero for a loss. The teams are ranked in the group stage table by points gained, then scoring difference and then their head-to-head record. The top two teams in each group qualify for the knock-out stage.

Knockout stage

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Following the completion of the group stage, the top two teams from each group are ranked (1-6) in terms of points accumulated and scoring difference. The two top-ranking teams receive byes to separate semi-finals.

  • Quarter-finals: Teams designated 3-6 contest this round. The two winners from these two games advance to the semi-finals.
  • Semi-finals: The two quarter-final winners and teams designated 1-2 contest this round. The two winners from these two games advance to the final.
  • Final: The two semi-final winners contest the final. The winning team are declared champions.

Promotion and relegation

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At the end of the championship, the winning team is automatically promoted to the Cork Premier Senior Championship for the following season. The three bottom-placed teams from the group stage take part in a series of play-offs, with the losing team being relegated to the Cork Premier Intermediate Championship.

Teams

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2025 Teams

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The 12 teams competing in the 2025 Cork Senior A Hurling Championship are:

Team Location Division Colours Position in 2024 In championship since Championship titles (PSHC) Last championship title (PSHC)
File:Colours of Sligo.svg Ballyhea Ballyhea Avondhu Black and white Group stage 2021 1 1896
File:Colours of Galway.svg Bishopstown Bishopstown Seandún Maroon and white Group stage (Cork PSHC) 2025 0 —
File:Colours of Cork.svg Blarney Blarney Muskerry Red and white Runners-up 2021 0 —
File:Colours of Offaly.svg Bride Rovers Rathcormac Imokilly Green, white and yellow Semi-finals 2020 0 —
File:Colours of Clare.svg Carrigtwohill Carrigtwohill Imokilly Blue and gold Relegation playoff winners 2022 2 2011
File:Colours of Kerry.svg Castlelyons Castlelyons Imokilly Green and gold Semi-finals 2024 0 —
File:Colours of Cork.svg Courcey Rovers Ballinspittle, Ballinadee Carrigdhoun Red and white Group stage 2022 0 —
File:Colours of Kilkenny.svg Fermoy Fermoy Avondhu Black and yellow Group stage 2020 0 —
File:Colours of Laois.svg Inniscarra Inniscarra Muskerry Blue and white Group stage 2023 0 —
File:Colours of Limerick.svg Killeagh Killeagh Imokilly Green and white Quarter-finals 2020 0 —
File:Colours of Kilkenny.svg Na Piarsaigh Fair Hill Seandún Black and amber Quarter-finals 2023 3 2004
File:Colours of Cork.svg Watergrasshill Watergrasshill Imokilly Red and white Champions (Cork PIHC) 2025 0 —

Sponsorship

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Co-Op Superstores were unveiled as the title sponsor for all of Cork GAA's hurling championships in July 2020.[6]

Venues

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Group stage

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File:Páirc Uí Chaoimh.jpg
The inaugural final was played at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in 2020.

Fixtures in the group stage of the championship are usually played at a neutral venue that is deemed halfway between the participating teams. Some of the more common venues include Mallow GAA Complex, Páirc Uí Chonaill, Ballincollig Sportsfield and Coachford Pitch.

Final

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The inaugural final in 2020 was played at Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

Managers

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Managers in the Cork Senior A Championship are involved in the day-to-day running of the team, including the training, team selection, and sourcing of players. Their influence varies from club-to-club and is related to the individual club committees. The manager is assisted by a team of two or three selectors and a backroom team consisting of various coaches.

Winning managers
Manager(s) Team Wins Winning years
Claude Gough Charleville 1 2020
Tom Walsh Kanturk 1 2021
Dave Colbert
Bryan Sweeney 		Fr O'Neill's 1 2022
Charlie Wilson Newcestown 1 2023
Tomás Mulcahy Glen Rovers 1 2024
Brian Murphy Bride Rovers 1 2025

Trophy and medals

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The Jim Forbes Cup is the current prize for winning the championship. It was commissioned to honour Jim Forbes who served in a number of administrative roles with the Cork County Board, including as chairman from 2003 to 2005.[7] The cup was presented to the County Board by the Carrigdhoun division shortly before the 2020 final.[8]

In accordance with GAA rules, the County Board awards a set of gold medals to the championship winners. The medals depict a stylised version of the Cork GAA crest.

List of Finals

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List of Cork SAHC finals

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Year Winners Runners-up Winning Captain(s) Venue #
Club Score Club Score
2025 Bride Rovers 2-15 Castlelyons 2-14 Conlaith Ryan & Cian Hogan SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh
2024 Glen Rovers 3–17 Blarney 1–16 Dean Brosnan SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh [9]
2023 Newcestown 3–17 Blarney 0–24 Eoghan Collins Páirc Uí Chaoimh [10]
2022 Fr. O'Neill's 0–20 Courcey Rovers 2–12 Kevin O'Sullivan
Robert Cullinane 		Páirc Uí Chaoimh [11]
2021 Kanturk 3–17 Fr. O'Neill's 2–13 Darren Browne Páirc Uí Chaoimh [12]
2020 Charleville 1–23 Fr. O'Neill's 4–13 Alan Dennehy Páirc Uí Chaoimh [13]

Notes

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  • 2023: The first match ended in a draw: Newcestown 0–19 — 1–16 Blarney.[14]
  • 2025: The first match ended in a draw: Bride Rovers 0–14 — 0–14 Castlelyons.

Roll of honour

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By club

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# Club Titles Runners-up Winning years Losing years
1 File:Colours of Mayo.svg Fr. O'Neill's 1 2 2022 2020, 2021
File:Colours of Cork.svg Charleville 1 0 2020 —
File:Colours of Limerick.svg Kanturk 1 0 2021 —
File:Flag of Naples.svg Newcestown 1 0 2023 —
File:Flag of Furnes, Belgium.svg Glen Rovers 1 0 2024 —
File:Colours of Offaly.svg Bride Rovers 1 0 2025 —
7 File:Colours of Cork.svg Blarney 0 2 — 2023, 2024
File:Colours of Cork.svg Courcey Rovers 0 1 — 2022
File:Colours of Kerry.svg Castlelyons 0 1 — 2025

By division

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Division Titles Runners-up Total
Border Imokilly 2 3 5
Border Avondhu 1 0 1
Border Carbery 1 0 1
Border Duhallow 1 0 1
Border Seandun 1 0 1
Border Muskerry 0 2 2
Border Carrigdhoun 0 1 1

Records and statistics

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Seasons in championship

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The number of years that each club has played in the Senior A Championship between 2020 and 2026. A total of 24 clubs have competed in at least one season of the championship. 2 clubs have participated in the most seasons. The clubs in bold will participate in the 2026 Cork Senior A Hurling Championship.

Years Clubs
7 Fermoy, Killeagh
6 Ballyhea, Blarney, Bride Rovers
5 Carrigtwohill, Cloyne, Courcey Rovers
4 Inniscarra, Mallow, Na Piarsaigh, Newcestown
3 Ballymartle, Castlelyons, Fr. O'Neill's
2 Bandon, Kanturk, Watergrasshill,
1 Ballinhassig, Bishopstown, Charleville, Erins Own, Glen Rovers, Kilworth

Top scorers

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All time

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As of match played 2 November 2025.
Rank Player Club Tally Total Matches Average
1 Declan Dalton Fr O'Neill's 11-115 148 13 11.38
2 Shane Barrett Blarney 2-137 143 25 5.72
3 Mark Coleman Blarney 4-125 137 23 5.95
4 Adam Walsh Bride Rovers 4-116 128 19 6.74
5 Richard Sweetnam Courcey Rovers 0-125 125 16 7.81
6 Seán Walsh Carrigtwohill 9-96 123 15 8.20
7 Pa O'Callaghan Ballyhea 6-100 118 12 9.07
8 Eoghan Keniry Killeagh 4-96 108 14 7.71
9 Brian O'Shea Cloyne 3-93 102 17 6.00
10 Eddie Kenneally Newcestown 6-83 101 16 6.31

By year

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Year Top scorer Team Score Total
2020 Darragh Fitzgibbon Charleville 2-51 57
2021 Mark Coleman Blarney 1-38 41
2022 Declan Dalton Fr. O'Neill's 1-50 53
2023 Shane Barrett Blarney 1-69 72
2024 Alan Fenton Castlelyons 2-46 52
2025 Adam Walsh Bride Rovers 2-42 48

In a single game

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Year Top scorer Team Score Total
2020 Eoghan Keniry Killeagh 1-12 15
2021 Declan Dalton Fr. O'Neill's 1-14 17
2022 Pa O'Callaghan Ballyhea 2-10 16
2023 Pa O'Callaghan Ballyhea 1-14 17
2024 Patrick Horgan Glen Rovers 2-09 15

In finals

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Year Top scorer Team Score Total
2020 Darragh Fitzgibbon Charleville 1-08 11
2021 Colin Walsh Kanturk 3-01 10
2022 Declan Dalton Fr. O'Neill's 0-07 7
2023 Eddie Kenneally Newcestown 1-06 9
Shane Barrett Blarney 0-09 9
2025 Patrick Horgan Glen Rovers 2-06 12
2025 Alan Fenton Castlelyons 0-08 8
Adam Walsh Bride Rovers 1-07 10

See also

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References

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