Cork Lower Intermediate Hurling Championship

The Cork Lower Intermediate Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Co-Op Superstores Cork Lower Intermediate Hurling Championship and abbreviated to the Cork LIHC) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Cork County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association from 2020 and contested by the third tier intermediate clubs in the county of Cork in Ireland. It is the fifth tier overall in the entire Cork hurling championship system.[1]

Cork Lower Intermediate Hurling Championship
Current season or competition:
2020 Cork Lower Intermediate Hurling Championship
CodeHurling
Founded2020 (2020)
Region Cork (GAA)
No. of teams12
SponsorsCo-Op Superstores
Official websiteCork GAA

The series of games are played between the spring and autumn months, including a summer break, with the county final being played at Páirc Uí Rinn in October. The championship includes a round robin followed by a knockout stage.

History

Development

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.[2] 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.[3]

Prior to the restructuring there were 61 hurling teams spread across Senior (19), Premier Intermediate (16) and Intermediate (26). The plan proposed to gradually reduce the number of teams to 48 come the beginning of the 2022 championships. In order to achieve this figure, the Lower Intermediate Hurling Championship will be in operation for 2020 and 2021. At the end of 2021, these additional teams will be regraded to Junior and the championship will be discontinued.

Beginnings

The inaugural championship was scheduled to begin in April 2020, however, it was postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic in Ireland.[4] 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 matches eventually took place on 1 August 2020, with St. Catherine's claiming the very first victory after a 0-15 to 0-14 win over Tracton.

Regular format

Group stage

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

Play-off: The second best and third best third placed teams from the group stage play off for last quarter-final place.

Quarter-finals: The play-off winner and the seven top-ranking teams from the group stage contest this round. The four winners from these four games advance to the semi-finals.

Semi-finals: The four quarter-final winners contest this round. The two winners from these four games advance to the semi-finals.

Final: The two semi-final winners contest the final. The winning team are declared champions.

Promotion and relegation

At the end of the championship, the winning team is automatically promoted to the Cork Intermediate A 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 Junior A Championship.

Participating teams
Team Location Colours
Ballygarvan Ballygarvan Red and white
Ballymartle Riverstick Green and yellow
Barryroe Barryroe Blue and navy
Castlemartyr Castlemartyr Red and white
Dripsey Dripsey Blue and red
Grenagh Grenagh Yellow and blue
Kilbrittain Kilbrittain Black and yellow
Milford Milford Blue and white
Russell Rovers Shanagarry Black and yellow
St. Catherine's Ballynoe Purple and yellow
St. Finbarr's Togher Blue and yellow
Tracton Minane Bridge Green and red

Sponsorship

Co-Op Superstores were unveiled as the title sponsor for all of Cork GAA's hurling championships in July 2020.[5]

Managers

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.

List of finals
Year Winners Score Runners-up Score Winning captain Venue
2020

References
  1. Cormican, Eoghan (26 March 2019). "Cork GAA four-tier championship will employ group format". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  2. Cormican, Eoghan (26 March 2019). "Here's a breakdown of the proposals to restructure the Cork county championships". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  3. "Cork clubs vote down radical restructuring proposals". RTÉ Sport. 2 April 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  4. "Cork GAA Statement 18/03/2020". Cork GAA website. 18 March 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  5. O'Connor, Colm (27 July 2020). "Cork GAA ink hurling sponsorship deal with Dairygold Co-Op Superstores". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
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