Leinster Under-21 Hurling Championship

Leinster GAA Hurling Under-21 Championship
Current season or competition:
2015 Munster Under-21 Hurling Championship
Irish Craobh Iomána Fé-21 Laighin
Founded 1964
Region Leinster (GAA)
No. of teams 8
Title holders Wexford (17th title)
First winner Wexford
Most titles Kilkenny (24 titles)
Sponsors Bord Gáis Energy
TV partner(s) TG4
Official website http://www.bgeu21.ie/

The Leinster GAA Hurling All-Ireland Under-21 Championship is an annual championship of hurling for male players under the age of 21 and is organized by the Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). The championship has been awarded every year since the first tournament in 1964. It is sponsored by Bord Gáis Energy.[1]

The series of games are played during the summer months with the Leinster final currently being played in July. The prize for the winning team is the Seán Robbins Cup. The championship has always been played on a straight knock-out basis whereby once a team lost they are eliminated from the series.

The Leinster Championship is an integral part of the wider All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship. The winners of the Leinster final join Galway, the Munster champions and the Ulster champions in the semi-final stages of the All-Ireland series of games.

Eight teams currently participate in the Munster Championship. Kilkenny is the most successful team with 24 titles, followed by Wexford with 17 titles. The title has been won by five different teams, four of whom have won the title more than once.

Wexford are the current holders.[2]

History

The Leinster Under-21 Hurling Championship began in 1964 in response to a Congress motion put forward by the Kerry County Board for the introduction of a new championship grade. It was the fifth championship to be created after the senior, junior, minor and intermediate grades.

In 2008 a radical motion was brought before a special Congress in an effort to combat player burnout. It was proposed to merge the existing under-21 and minor championships to create a new All-Ireland Under-19 Hurling Championship based on the provincial system.[3] This motion was defeated by 115 votes to 58.[4]

A similar motion was later introduced in an effort to lower the age and create a new All-Ireland Under-20 Championship based on the provincial system, however, this motion was also defeated.[5]

Format

The Leinster Championship is a knockout tournament with pairings drawn at random – there are no seeds.

Each match is played as a single leg. If a match is drawn there is extra time and, if the sides still remain level, a replay is required.

The format has remained the same since the very first Leinster Championship in 1964. An open draw is made to determine the quarter-final pairings. The four winners advance to the semi-final stage. Once a team is defeated they are eliminated from the championship.

The Leinster Championship has wider implications for the All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship. The winners of the Munster final automatically qualify for the semi-final stages of the All-Ireland series of games. Unlike the final runners-up in the minor and senior championships, there is no 'back-door system' at under-21 level.

Eight of the twelve counties of Leinster – Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Offaly, Westmeath and Wexford – participate in the championship.

Trophy

At the end of the Leinster final, the winning team is presented with a trophy. The cup, named the Seán Robbins Cup, is held by the winning team until the following year's final. Traditionally, the presentation is made at a special rostrum in the stand where GAA and political dignitaries and special guests view the match.

The cup is decorated with ribbons in the colours of the winning team. During the game the cup actually has both teams' sets of ribbons attached and the runners-up ribbons are removed before the presentation. The winning captain accepts the cup on behalf of his team before giving a short speech. Individual members of the winning team then have an opportunity to come to the rostrum to lift the cup.

Sponsorship

Since 2003 the Leinster Championship has been sponsored. The sponsor has usually been able to determine the championship's sponsorship name. The list below details who the sponsors have been and what they called the competition:

Results

Summaries

All-Ireland champions
All-Ireland runners-up
Year Winners Score Runners-up Score Venue Winning Captain
1964 Wexford 4-7 Laois 2-2 Jim Berry
1965 Wexford 7-9 Dublin 1-5 Willie O'Neill
1966 Wexford 7-10 Laois 2-8
1967 Dublin 2-10 Offaly 2-9
1968 Kilkenny 4-10 Dublin 5-4
1969 Wexford 3-16 Kilkenny 4-3
1970 Wexford 2-15 Kilkenny 5-4 Liam Bennett
1971 Wexford 2-16 Kilkenny 2-9 Martin Quigley
1972 Dublin 2-11 Offaly 0-15 J. Kealy
1973 Wexford 2-13 Offaly 2-10
1974 Kilkenny 3-8 Wexford 1-5 Ger Fennelly
1975 Kilkenny 3-14 Wexford 0-8 Kevin Fennelly
1976 Kilkenny 3-21 Wexford 0-5
1977 Kilkenny 3-11 Wexford 1-10 Micky Lyng
1978 Offaly 2-14 Laois 2-7
1979 Wexford 1-8 (0-14) Kilkenny 0-10 (2-8)
1980 Kilkenny 2-14 Wexford 2-9
1981 Kilkenny 6-11 Wexford 2-10
1982 Kilkenny 5-20 Offaly 2-6
1983 Laois 3-13 Wexford 4-8
1984 Kilkenny 0-18 Wexford 1-10 Séamus Delahunty
1985 Kilkenny 4-18 Wexford 1-4
1986 Wexford 1-16 (2-9) Offaly 0-10 (2-9)
1987 Wexford 4-11 Wexford 0-5
1988 Kilkenny 3-13 Offaly 2-5 Frankie Morgan
1989 Offaly 3-16 Kilkenny 3-9
1990 Kilkenny 2-9 Wexford 1-10 Jamesie Brennan
1991 Offaly 2-10 Kilkenny 0-12
1992 Offaly 1-15 Kilkenny 2-10
1993 Kilkenny 4-13 Wexford 2-7 David Beirne
1994 Kilkenny 1-14 Wexford 0-15 Philly Larkin
1995 Kilkenny 2-11 Wexford 1-12 Peter Barry
1996 Wexford 2-15 (1-9) Offaly 2-5 (0-12)
1997 Wexford 2-13 Offaly 0-15
1998 Kilkenny 2-10 Dublin 0-12 Dr. Cullen Park Paul Hoyne
1999 Kilkenny 1-17 Offaly 1-6 O'Moore Park Noel Hickey
2000 Offaly 3-14 Kilkenny 2-14 O'Moore Park
2001 Wexford 0-10 Kilkenny 1-5 Wexford Park Nicky Lambert
2002 Wexford 1-15 Dublin 0-15 O'Moore Park Darren Stamp
2003 Kilkenny 0-12 Dublin 1-4 Dr. Cullen Park Jackie Tyrrell
2004 Kilkenny 1-16 Wexford 2-3 Wexford Park James "Cha" Fitzpatrick
2005 Kilkenny 0-17 Dublin 1-10 Dr. Cullen Park Richie Power
2006 Kilkenny 2-18 Dublin 2-10 Nowlan Park Michael Fennelly
2007 Dublin 2-18 Offaly 3-9 Parnell Park John McCaffrey
2008 Kilkenny 2-21 Offaly 2-9 O'Connor Park James Dowling
2009 Kilkenny 2-20 Dublin 1-19 Parnell Park David Langton
2010 Dublin 2-15 Wexford 0-15 Parnell Park Finn McGarry
2011 Dublin 1-18 Wexford 0-11 Wexford Park Liam Rushe
2012 Kilkenny 4-24 Laois 1-13 O'Moore Park Cillian Buckley
2013 Wexford 1-21 Kilkenny 0-21 Wexford Park Lee Chin
2014 Wexford 1-20 Dublin 0-18 Parnell Park Shane O'Gorman
2015 Wexford 4-17 Kilkenny 1-9 Wexford Park Eoin Conroy
2016[6] Dublin 2-15 Offaly 1-10 O'Connor Park

Performances by counties

No. Team Wins Years won Losses Years lost
1 Kilkenny 24 1968, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012 10 1969, 1970, 1971, 1979, 1989, 1991, 1992, 2000, 2013, 2015
2 Wexford 17 1964, 1965, 1966, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1979, 1986, 1987, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2013, 2014, 2015 15 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2004, 2010, 2011
3 Dublin 6 1967, 1972, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2016 10 1965, 1968, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2014
4 Offaly 5 1978, 1989, 1991, 1992, 2000 13 1967, 1972, 1973, 1982, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2007, 2008, 2016
5 Laois 1 1983 5 1964, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2012

References

  1. "Bord Gais to sponsor U-21 hurling championship". Irish Examiner. 28 July 2008. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  2. "Wexford claim Leinster U21 three-in-a-row with stunning win over Kilkenny". Irish Times. 8 July 2015. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
  3. O'Riordan, Ian (23 January 2008). "Merge needs simple majority". Irish Times. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  4. "GAA delegates reject U-19 proposal". RTÉ Sport. 26 January 2008. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  5. O'Riordan, Ian (11 September 2008). "Under-20 championship proposed". Irish Times. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  6. "Leinster U21HC final: Treacy goals see Dubs past Faithfuls". Hogan Stand. 6 July 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
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