The Waterford Senior Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the JJ Kavanagh & Sons Senior Hurling Championship) is an annual
hurling
Hurling ( ga, iománaíocht, ') is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic Irish origin, played by men. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goals, the number of p ...
competition organised by the
Waterford County Board of the
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional ...
since 1897 for the top hurling teams in the
county of Waterford in
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
.
The series of games are played during the spring, summer and autumn months with the county final currently being played at
Walsh Park
Walsh Park ( ga, Páirc Breathnach) is a GAA stadium in Waterford, Ireland named after Willie Walsh, a well-known referee and long time campaigner for Gaelic games in Waterford. It is one of the two homes of the Waterford Gaelic football and hu ...
in October. Initially played as a knock-out competition, the championship currently features a group stage followed by a knock-out stage. The Waterford County Championship is an integral part of the wider
Munster Senior Club Hurling Championship
The Munster Senior Club Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the AIB Munster GAA Hurling Senior Club Championship) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1964 f ...
. The winners of the Waterford county final join the champions of the other hurling counties to contest the provincial championship. Twelve teams currently participate in the Waterford County Championship. The title has been won at least once by 23 different teams. The all-time record-holders are
Mount Sion, who have won a total of 35 titles.
Ballygunner
Ballygunner ( ga, Baile Gunnair), is a civil parish in County Waterford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It lies on the southern outskirts of Waterford city.
The placename is derived, in part, from the Old Norse masculine personal name ''Gunnarr' ...
are the
title-holders after defeating
Passage
Passage, The Passage or Le Passage may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Films
* ''Passage'' (2008 film), a documentary about Arctic explorers
* ''Passage'' (2009 film), a short movie about three sisters
* ''The Passage'' (1979 film), starring ...
by 1–23 to 0–09 in the 2020 championship final.
The championship
Format
Group stage: The 12 teams are divided into two groups. Each team plays each other once. The top four teams in each group advance to the kick-out stage. The fifth-placed teams in each group are eliminated from the championship. The bottom-placed teams in each group contest the relegation play-off.
Relegation play-off: The losers of this game are relegated to the
Waterford Intermediate Hurling Championship
Waterford Intermediate Hurling Championship is a second-tier hurling competition organised by the Waterford Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The winning club progresses to the senior grade the following year for the Waterford Senior H ...
.
Quarter-finals: 8 teams contest this round. The 4 winning teams advance to the Semi-finals. The 4 losing teams are eliminated from the championship.
Semi-finals: 4 teams contest this round. The 2 winning teams advance to the Semi-finals. The 2 losing teams are eliminated from the championship.
Final: The final is contested by the two semi-final winners.
Participating teams
The following 12 teams contested the 2018 championship:
Managers
Manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities o ...
s in the Waterford 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.
Finals listed by year
Roll of honour
Records and statistics
Teams
By decade
The most successful team of each decade, judged by number of Waterford Senior Hurling Championship titles, is as follows:
* 1890s: 1 each for
Ballytruckle (1897) and
Ballydurn (1899)
* 1900s: 4 for
Clonea (1902-03-05-07)
* 1910s: 3 each for
T. F. Meaghers (1910-11-12) and
Ferrybank (1915-16-19)
* 1920s: 3 each for
Dungarvan
Dungarvan () is a coastal town and harbour in County Waterford, on the south-east coast of Ireland. Prior to the merger of Waterford County Council with Waterford City Council in 2014, Dungarvan was the county town and administrative centre of ...
(1920-23-26) and
Erin's Own (1927-28-29)
* 1930s: 6 for
Erin's Own (1930-31-32-33-34-35)
* 1940s: 5 for
Mount Sion (1940-43-45-48-49)
* 1950s: 8 for
Mount Sion (1951-53-54-55-56-57-58-59)
* 1960s: 6 for
Mount Sion (1960-61-63-64-65-69)
* 1970s: 5 for
Portlaw
Portlaw ( or ''Port Lách'') is a town in County Waterford, Ireland. It is also a parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Waterford and Lismore. It is situated approximately 19 km west-north-west of Waterford City, where the Clodiagh mee ...
(1970-71-73-76-77)
* 1980s: 4 for
Mount Sion (1981-83-86-88)
* 1990s: 5 for
Ballygunner
Ballygunner ( ga, Baile Gunnair), is a civil parish in County Waterford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It lies on the southern outskirts of Waterford city.
The placename is derived, in part, from the Old Norse masculine personal name ''Gunnarr' ...
(1992-95-96-97-99)
* 2000s: 5 for
Mount Sion (2000-02-03-04-06)
* 2010s: 7 for
Ballygunner
Ballygunner ( ga, Baile Gunnair), is a civil parish in County Waterford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It lies on the southern outskirts of Waterford city.
The placename is derived, in part, from the Old Norse masculine personal name ''Gunnarr' ...
(2011-14-15-16-17-18-19)
* 2020s: 3 for
Ballygunner
Ballygunner ( ga, Baile Gunnair), is a civil parish in County Waterford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It lies on the southern outskirts of Waterford city.
The placename is derived, in part, from the Old Norse masculine personal name ''Gunnarr' ...
(2020-21-22)
Gaps
Top five longest gaps between successive championship titles:
* 66 years:
Lismore (1925-1991)
* 45 years:
Clonea (1907-1952)
* 44 years:
Tallow
Tallow is a rendering (industrial), rendered form of beef or mutton fat, primarily made up of triglycerides.
In industry, tallow is not strictly defined as beef or mutton fat. In this context, tallow is animal fat that conforms to certain techn ...
(1936-1980)
* 33 years:
Portlaw
Portlaw ( or ''Port Lách'') is a town in County Waterford, Ireland. It is also a parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Waterford and Lismore. It is situated approximately 19 km west-north-west of Waterford City, where the Clodiagh mee ...
(1937-1970)
* 20 years:
Ballyduff Upper (1987-2007)
Top scorers
In finals
References
External links
Official Waterford WebsiteWaterford on HoganstandUpTheDeise.com
{{Waterford GAA, state=expanded
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Senior hurling county championships
Recurring sporting events established in 1897
1897 establishments in Ireland