The 2020 Christy Ring Cup was the 16th staging of the
Christy Ring Cup hurling championship since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 2005. It is the third tier of hurling as of 2020.
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
were scheduled to compete in the Christy Ring Cup but didn't due to the
impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Gaelic games
As with other sports, the COVID-19 pandemic caused disruption to Gaelic games, primarily in Ireland but also elsewhere in the world. Competitions were cancelled, postponed or restructured, while some teams were withdrawn or were unable to par ...
. The championship was scheduled to begin in May 2020 but was delayed until 24 October 2020.
The rise in COVID-19 cases affected the tournament, with two first-round games
conceded due to positive tests.
were the winners, defeating in
the final following earlier wins against and .
Both finalists were promoted to the Joe McDonagh Cup for 2021.
The competition featured the first ever inter-county hurling penalty shootout, with Down qualifying for the final by causing an upset through knocking
Offaly
County Offaly (; ga, Contae Uíbh Fhailí) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is named after the Ancient Ireland ...
out in the semi-final.
Team changes
To Championship
Relegated from the
Joe McDonagh Cup
The Joe McDonagh Cup is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It forms the second tier of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship and is the second highest level of inter-county champio ...
*
Offaly
County Offaly (; ga, Contae Uíbh Fhailí) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is named after the Ancient Ireland ...
Promoted from the
Nicky Rackard Cup
The Nicky Rackard Cup (; often referred to as the Rackard Cup) is the fourth tier of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. Each year, the champion team in the Nicky Rackard Cup is promoted to the Christy Ring Cup, and the lowest finishi ...
*
Sligo
Sligo ( ; ga, Sligeach , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of approximately 20,000 in 2016, it is the List of urban areas ...
From Championship
Promoted to the
Joe McDonagh Cup
The Joe McDonagh Cup is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It forms the second tier of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship and is the second highest level of inter-county champio ...
*
Meath Meath may refer to:
General
* County Meath, Republic of Ireland
**Kingdom of Meath, medieval precursor of the county
** List of kings of Meath
** Meath GAA, including the intercounty football and hurling teams
** Diocese of Meath, in the Roman Cath ...
Relegated to the
Nicky Rackard Cup
The Nicky Rackard Cup (; often referred to as the Rackard Cup) is the fourth tier of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. Each year, the champion team in the Nicky Rackard Cup is promoted to the Christy Ring Cup, and the lowest finishi ...
*
Donegal
Format
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the normal structure of eight teams competing in two groups of four was abandoned. Seven teams competed in the 2020 Christy Ring Cup. London did not compete as the quarantine restrictions on travel meant that their participation was not feasible.
The 2020 championship had a "back-door" structure designed to ensure that each team had at least two games. Offaly and Sligo conceded their round one games due to rising cases of COVID-19 and Sligo only managed to play one game before being eliminated.
*Six teams play each in the three Round 1 games. One team receives a bye to Round 2A.
*The three Round 1 winners, plus the team that received a bye, play in Round 2A.
**The two Round 2A winners advance to the semi-finals.
**The losers of the game between a Round 1 winner and the bye-receiving team goes into Round 2B.
*The three Round 1 losers and one of the Round 2A losers play in Round 2B.
**The Round 2B winners advance to the semi-finals.
*The semi-finals are played between the two Round 2A winners and the two Round 2B winners.
*The final is between the two semi-final winners.
Round 1
Winners advance to Round 2A. Losers advance to Round 2B.
*
Down
Down most often refers to:
* Down, the relative direction opposed to up
* Down (gridiron football), in American/Canadian football, a period when one play takes place
* Down feather, a soft bird feather used in bedding and clothing
* Downland, a ty ...
received a bye in this round.
Round 2
Round 2A
The Round 1 winners and
Down
Down most often refers to:
* Down, the relative direction opposed to up
* Down (gridiron football), in American/Canadian football, a period when one play takes place
* Down feather, a soft bird feather used in bedding and clothing
* Downland, a ty ...
, who received a bye, competed in this round. Winners advance to Semi-Finals.
Round 2B
The Round 1 loser and one 'lucky loser' from round 2A,
Derry
Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. Th ...
entered this round. Winners advance to Semi-Finals.
Semi-Finals
The Round 2A winners play the Round 2B winners. The winners advance to the final and were both promoted to the
2021 Joe McDonagh Cup
The 2021 Joe McDonagh Cup was the fourth staging of the Joe McDonagh Cup since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 2018. The competition, which was delayed for a second successive year due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandem ...
.
Final
Down
Down most often refers to:
* Down, the relative direction opposed to up
* Down (gridiron football), in American/Canadian football, a period when one play takes place
* Down feather, a soft bird feather used in bedding and clothing
* Downland, a ty ...
and
Kildare
Kildare () is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. , its population was 8,634 making it the 7th largest town in County Kildare. The town lies on the R445, some west of Dublin – near enough for it to have become, despite being a regional cent ...
are promoted to the
2021 Joe McDonagh Cup
The 2021 Joe McDonagh Cup was the fourth staging of the Joe McDonagh Cup since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 2018. The competition, which was delayed for a second successive year due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandem ...
.
Bracket
(Incomplete)
Statistics
Top scorers
;Overall
;In a single game
References
{{GAA 2020, state=expanded
Christy Ring Cup
The Christy Ring Cup () is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association. Originally introduced as a second-tier competition, it is currently the third tier overall in the inter-county hurling championship system. Eac ...
Christy Ring Cup
Christy Ring Cup
The Christy Ring Cup () is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association. Originally introduced as a second-tier competition, it is currently the third tier overall in the inter-county hurling championship system. Eac ...