Christy Ring Cup
| Country |
 Ireland |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2005–present |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| Level on pyramid | 2 |
| Promotion to | Leinster Senior Hurling Championship |
| Relegation to | Nicky Rackard Cup |
| Current champions |
Meath (2016) |
| Most championships | Westmeath (3 titles) |
| TV partners | TG4 (Final only) |
| Website | Official GAA site |
 2016 Christy Ring Cup | |
The Christy Ring Cup (Irish: Corn Chríostóir Uí Rinn) is the second tier senior inter-county championship in hurling after the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship.[1] Each year, the champion team in the Christy Ring Cup is promoted to the All-Ireland Championship, and the lowest finishing team enters a play-off with possible relegation to the Nicky Rackard Cup.
The Christy Ring Cup was introduced for the 2005 season. It replaced the All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship (1974-2004).
The winners of the championship receive the Christy Ring Cup, named after former Cork hurler Christy Ring who many regard as the greatest hurler of all time.
In the 2016 season, Meath and Antrim tied in the final. Meath won the replay. Derry were relegated.[2]
History
- For history before 2004, see All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship
In 2003 the Hurling Development Committee (HDC) was charged with restructuring the entire hurling championship. The committee was composed of chairman Pat Dunny (Kildare), Liam Griffin (Wexford), P. J. O'Grady (Limerick), Ger Loughnane (Clare), Cyril Farrell (Galway), Jimmy O'Reilly (Down), Willie Ring (Cork), Pat Daly (GAA Games Development Officer) and Nicky English (Tipperary). Over the course of three months they held discussions with managers, players and officials, while also taking a submission from the Gaelic Players Association. The basic tenet of the proposals was to structure the hurling championship into three tiers in accordance with 2004 National Hurling League status. The top tier was confined to 12 teams, while the next ten teams would contest the second tier which was to be known as the Christy Ring Cup. There would also be promotion-relegation play-offs between the three championship tiers. The HDC also suggested that these games would be played as curtain raisers to All-Ireland quarter-finals and semi-finals.[3]
The proposal were accepted at the 2005 GAA Congress. The Christy Ring Cup and the Nicky Rackard Cup competitions were launched at Croke Park on 8 December 2004.
Format
2005-2007
The ten participating teams were divided into two groups of five and played in a round-robin format. Each team was guaranteed at least four games each. The eventual group winners and runners-up qualified for the knock-out semi-finals of the competition.
The bottom two teams of both groups were involved in a four-way relegation play-off with the eventual loser being relegated to the Nicky Rackard Cup. In 2006 the relegation play-off was limited to just the bottom teams in both groups, while in 2007 there was no relegation.
2008
The competition was expanded to include twelve teams. The participating teams were divided into four groups of three and played in a round-robin format, thus limiting each team to just two games each. The eventual group winners and runners-up qualified for the knock-out quarter-finals of the competition.
The bottom team in each group went into the relegation play-offs. The eventual losers were relegated to the Nicky Rackard Cup, however, the relegation play-offs in 2008 were rendered meaningless as all four bottom-placed teams were relegated.
2009-present
In 2009 a double elimination format was introduced, thus guaranteeing each team at least two games before being eliminated from the competition.
The eight teams play four Round 1 matches.
- The winners in Round 1 advance to Round 2A.
- The losers in Round 1 go into to Round 2B.
There are two Round 2A matches.
- The winners in Round 2A advance to the semi-finals.
- The losers in Round 2A go into to the quarter-finals.
There are two Round 2B matches.
- The winners in Round 2B advance to the quarter-finals.
- The losers in Round 2B go into the bottom playoff. The losers of this match play a relegation/pormotion match with the winners of the Nicky Rackard Cup. If they lose they are relegated to the Nicky Rackard cup for the following year.
There are two quarter-final matches between the Round 2A losers and Round 2B winners.
- The winners of the quarter-finals advance to the semi-finals.
- The losers of the quarter-finals are eliminated.
There are two semi-final matches between the Round 2A winners and the quarter-final winners.
- The winners of the semi-finals advance to the final.
- The losers of the semi-finals are eliminated.
The winners of the final are promoted to the Liam MacCarthy Cup for the following year.
Champions, Runners-Up and Relegated Teams By Year
Winners Table
| Team | Wins | Years won |
|---|---|---|
| Westmeath | 3 | 2005, 2007, 2010 |
| Carlow | 2 | 2008, 2009 |
| Kerry | 2 | 2011, 2015 |
| Antrim | 1 | 2006 |
| London | 1 | 2012 |
| Down | 1 | 2013 |
| Kildare | 1 | 2014 |
| Meath | 1 | 2016 |
Top Scorers
Top Scorers Overall
| Season | Top scorer | Team | Score | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Mattie Dowd |  Kildare |
2-39 | 45 |
| 2006 | Paul Braniff |  Down |
6-26 | 44 |
| 2007 | Shane Brick |  Kerry |
||
| 2008 | Brendan Murtagh |  Westmeath |
2-37 | 43 |
| 2009 | Shane Brick | Kerry |
1-42 | 45 |
| 2010 | Darragh O'Connell | Kerry |
1-38 | 41 |
| 2011 | Darragh O'Connell | Kerry |
1-33 | 36 |
| 2012 | Martin Finn |  London |
5-29 | 44 |
| 2013 | Paul Braniff | Down |
3-34 | 43 |
| 2014 | Mikey Lee |  Wicklow |
4-38 | 50 |
| 2015 | Shane Nolan | Kerry |
2-35 | 41 |
| 2016 | Ciarán Clarke |  Antrim |
3-43 | 52 |
Top Scorers In The Final
| Season | Top scorer | Team | Score | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Andrew Mitchell | Westmeath |
0-9 | 9 |
| 2006 | Johnny McIntosh | Antrim |
2-4 | 10 |
| 2007 | Billy White | Kildare |
0-7 | 7 |
| 2008 | Brendan Murtagh | Westmeath |
2-10 | 16 |
| 2009 | Simon Wilson | Down |
0-7 | 7 |
| 2010 | Darragh O'Connell | Kerry |
0-8 | 8 |
| 2011 | Darragh O'Connell | Kerry |
1-9 | 12 |
| 2012 | Jonathan Maher | London |
3-4 | 13 |
| 2013 | Shane Nolan | Kerry |
1-9 | 12 |
| 2014 | Shane Nolan | Kerry |
1-4 | 7 |
| Gerry Keegan | Kildare |
1-4 | 7 | |
| 2015 | Shane Nolan | Kerry |
1-8 | 11 |
| 2016 | James Toher | Meath |
0-12 | 12 |
Teams participating in the 2016 season
The following 8 teams will be competing in the 2016 Christy Ring Cup.
| Team | Finishing position last season |
|---|---|
| Antrim | Relegated from the All-Ireland Championship |
| Derry | Runners-up |
| Down | Semi-finalists |
| Kildare | Semi-finalists |
| London | Quarter-finalists |
| Meath | Quarter-finalists |
| Roscommon | Promoted from the Nicky Rackard Cup |
| Wicklow | Round 2B |
Stadiums 2016
| Team | Stadium | Location | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antrim | Páirc Mac Uílín | Ballycastle | 4,900 |
| Derry | Owenbeg Centre of Excellence | Dungiven | 6,800 |
| Down | McKenna Park | Ballycran | 5,000 |
| Kildare | St. Conleth's Park | Newbridge | 6,200 |
| London | Emerald GAA Grounds | Ruislip | 5,000 |
| Meath | St. Loman's Park | Trim | |
| Roscommon | Athleague Sportsfield | Athleague | |
| Wicklow | Pearse Park | Arklow | 5,000 |
See also
References
- ↑ Hurling tiers - 1. All-Ireland (Liam MacCarthy) 2. Christy Ring 3. Nicky Rackard 4. Lory Meagher
- ↑ "Scoreline controversy overshadows Royal win". GAA.ie. 5 June 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
- ↑ Keys, Colm (10 December 2003). "Hurling evangelists have radical tiers in their eyes". Irish Independent. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
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