Kerry Senior Hurling Championship

The Kerry Senior Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as Garvey's SuperValu Senior Hurling Championship) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Kerry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1889 for the top hurling teams in the county of Kerry in Ireland.

Kerry Senior Hurling Championship
Current season or competition:
2023 Kerry Senior Hurling Championship
IrishCraobh Sinsear Iomána Chiarraí
CodeHurling
Founded1889 (1889)
Region Kerry (GAA)
TrophyNeilus Flynn Cup
No. of teams9
Title holders Crotta O'Neill's (10th title)
Most titles Kilmoyley (26 titles)
SponsorsGarvey's SuperValu

The series of games are played during the summer months, with the county final currently being played in Austin Stack Park in August. Initially played a knock-out competition, the championship currently uses a double elimination format whereby each team is guaranteed at least two games. The 2020 championship reverted to a straight knock-out format due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Kerry County Championship is an integral part of the wider Munster Intermediate Club Hurling Championship. The winners of the Kerry county final join the intermediate champions of the other five counties to contest the provincial championship.

The title has been won at least once by 21 different teams. The all-time record-holders are Kilmoyley who have won 26 titles.

Crotta O'Neill's are the current title-holders after defeating Lixnaw GAA by 0-15 to 1-9 in the 2023 championship final played at Austin Stack Park in Tralee.

History

Beginnings

The inaugural championship took place in 1889 with just five clubs entering. These were Abbeydorney, Ballyduff, Kenmare, Kilgarvan and Kilmoyley. The very first championship match was held on 10 March 1889 when Abbeydorney beat Ballyduff by 1-1 to 0-1. Walkovers and delays were regular occurrences in the early years of the championship, while no records exist for some championship finals. More clubs fielded teams as the years went on, with the championships of 1905 and 1913 being held on a league basis.

The championship suffered severe disruption between 1920 and 1924 due to the War of Independence and subsequent Civil War. Several championships were abandoned midway through, while the championships of 1921 and 1923 were cancelled. The last championship which failed to be completed was in 1935.

Club dominance

Since the beginning, the championship has been dominated at various times by Ballyduff and Kilmoyley who are collectively known as the "big two". They have won 49 championship titles between them. Kilmoyley dominated the first 25 years of the championship, winning ten titles between 1890 and 1914. The 1920s and 1930s saw a number of first-time winners, including Austin Stacks, Causeway and Lixnaw. Crotta O'Neill's also won their first championship in 1939 and dominated the next twelve years by winning eight titles in total.

The second half of the 20th century was dominated by Ballyduff. The club won 19 championship titles in a forty-year period between 1955 and 1995. The only club who came close to matching their dominance was Causeway who won six championships between 1979 and 1987. The first two decades of the 21st century has seen the Kilmoyley-Ballyduff hegemony continue. Kilmoyley won their first title after a 30-year fallow period in 2001, before claiming seven more titles up to 2016. Ballyduff won five championships between 2006 and 2017. Kilmoyley won back to back titles in 2020-21 to give them ten titles in 20 years.

The 2022 final included a first, a live referee microphone for its national broadcast on TG4.[1] It was also the first time the Kerry County Hurling Final was shown on live national TV.[2]

Format

Group stage

The 9 clubs are divided into three groups of three. Over the course of the group stage, each team plays once against the others in the group, resulting in each team being guaranteed two group 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 quarter-finals.

Knockout stage

Following the completion of the group stage, the top two teams from each group are ranked (1-6) in terms of points accumulated and scoring difference. The two top-ranking teams receive byes to separate semi-finals.

Quarter-finals: Teams designated 3-6 contest this round. The two winners from these two games advance to the semi-finals.

Semi-finals: The two quarter-final winners and teams designated 1-2 contest this round. The two winners from these two games advance to the final.

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

Relegation

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 Kerry Intermediate Hurling Championship.

Qualification

At the end of the championship, the winning team qualify to the subsequent Munster Intermediate Club Hurling Championship.

Teams

2023 Teams (9)
Team Location Colours Championship titles Last championship title
Abbeydorney Abbeydorney Black and amber 4 1974
Ballyduff Ballyduff Green and white 25 2017
Ballyheigue Ballyheigue Orange and black 5 2000
Causeway Causeway Maroon and white 9 2022
Crotta O'Neill's Kilflynn Red and green 10 2023
Dr Crokes Killarney Black and amber 0 —
Kilmoyley Kilmoyley Green and gold 26 2021
Lixnaw Lixnaw Green and gold 9 2018
St Brendan's Ardfert Blue and white 7 2013

Trophy

The Neilus Flynn Cup is presented to the winners of the championship and is named after Neilus Flynn, who captained Causeway and St Brendan's (Div.) to County Championship successes in 1932 and 1936 respectively. The Flynn family donated both the original trophy (in 1987) and the new cup to the Kerry County Board. The current trophy, which was designed by silversmith Fintan Foley, was presented for the first time to the 2018 champions, Lixnaw.

Roll of honour
# Team Wins Runners-Up Years won Years Runners-Up
1 Kilmoyley 26 16 1890, 1892, 1894, 1895, 1900 (as Kilmoyley A), 1901, 1905, 1907, 1910, 1914, 1948, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1970, 1971, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2015, 2016, 2020, 2021 1889, 1891, 1893, 1903, 1908, 1946, 1950, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1965, 1983, 1988, 2007, 2014, 2018
2 Ballyduff 25 11 1891, 1955, 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1984, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2017 1890, 1892, 1912, 1938, 1949, 1981, 1990, 1996, 2000, 2016, 2022
3 Crotta O'Neill's 10 10 1939, 1941, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1947, 1950, 1951, 1968, 2023 1952, 1957, 1967, 1972, 1979, 1985, 1986, 1998, 1999, 2011
4 Lixnaw 9 21 1933, 1954, 1983, 1985, 1999, 2005, 2007, 2014, 2018 1894, 1896, 1901, 1907, 1914 (as Lixnaw Davis'), 1942, 1953, 1960, 1964, 1966, 1982, 1993, 1994, 2002, 2003, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2019, 2023
Causeway 9 8 1932, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1987, 1998, 2019, 2022 1973, 1978, 1984, 1997, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2020
6 St Brendan's 7 12 1949, 1952, 1967, 1975, 1986, 1990, 2013 1937, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1987, 1989, 1992, 2009, 2015, 2021
7 Ballyheigue 5 4 1946, 1992, 1996, 1997, 2000 1941, 1948, 1995, 2001
8 Kenmare 4 9 1889, 1902, 1916 (Disputed), 1942 1895, 1904, 1910, 1916, 1917, 1943, 1945, 1947, 1991
Abbeydorney 4 4 1893, 1896, 1913, 1974 1900 (as Abbeydorney B), 1954, 1971, 2005
10 Kilgarvan 3 5 1953, 1956, 1958 1918, 1919, 1944, 1959, 1975
Austin Stacks 3 3 1928, 1929, 1931 (all as Rock Street) 1968, 1969, 1974
Tralee Mitchels 3 0 1908, 1911, 1912 -
13 Tralee Celtic 2 1 1903, 1904 1902
Tralee Parnells 2 1 1918, 1919 1911
Pearses (Div.) - Crotta & Kilflynn 2 0 1937, 1938 -
16 Killarney 1 2 1969 1951, 1970
Tullig 1 0 1916 (Disputed) -
Tubrid 1 0 1917 -
Tralee 1 0 1925 -
St. Brendans (Div.) - Ardfert, Causeway & Ballyheigue) [3] 1 0 1936 -
Banna 1 0 1940 -
22 Boherbee 0 2 - 1928, 1929
Kilflynn 0 2 - 1931, 1933
North Kerry 0 1 - 1925
Rathmore 0 1 - 1932
John Mitchel's 0 1 - 1936
Shannon Rovers 0 1 - 1939
Dingle 0 1 - 1940

List of Finals
Year Winners Runners-up
Club Score Club Score
2023 Crotta O'Neill's 0-15 Lixnaw 1-09
2022[4] Causeway 2-15 Ballyduff 0-16
2021 Kilmoyley 1-14 St Brendan's, Ardfert 1-11
2020 Kilmoyley 2-12 Causeway 1-14
2019[5] Causeway 2-13 Lixnaw 1-13
2018[6] Lixnaw 1-16 Kilmoyley 2-11
2017[7][8] Ballyduff 4-13 Lixnaw 1-19
2016[9][10] Kilmoyley 1-17, 1-18 (R) Ballyduff 2-14, 2-13 (R)
2015[11] Kilmoyley 3–15 St Brendan's, Ardfert 1–13
2014[12] Lixnaw 1–12 Kilmoyley 0–12
2013[13][14] St Brendan's, Ardfert 0–13, 0–13 (R) Lixnaw 1–10, 0–08 (R)
2012[15] Ballyduff 1–15 Lixnaw 1–09
2011[16] Ballyduff 2–11 Crotta O'Neill's 0–15
2010[17] Ballyduff 2–18 Lixnaw 2–09
2009[18] Kilmoyley 1–19 St Brendan's, Ardfert 2–08
2008[19] Kilmoyley 2–18 Causeway 0–08
2007[20] Lixnaw 1–15 Kilmoyley 2–06
2006[21] Ballyduff 1–17 Causeway 1–11
2005[22] Lixnaw 0–17 (replay) Abbeydorney 0–06
2004[23] Kilmoyley 2–15 Causeway 2–09
2003[24] Kilmoyley 2–10 Lixnaw 1–05
2002[25] Kilmoyley 1–16 Lixnaw 2–07
2001 Kilmoyley 2–08 Ballyheigue 2–07
2000[26] Ballyheigue 1–06 Ballyduff 0–08
1999 Lixnaw 0–09 (replay) Crotta O'Neill's 1–05
1998 Causeway 1-14 Crotta O'Neill's 2-10
1997 Ballyheigue 0-13 Causeway 0-05
1996 Ballyheigue 2-09 Ballyduff 0-07
1995 Ballyduff 3-09 Ballyheigue 2-05
1994 Ballyduff 2-07 Lixnaw 0-10
1993 Ballyduff 2-10 Lixnaw 0-08
1992 Ballyheigue 1-10 St. Brendan's, Ardfert 1-09
1991 Ballyduff 0–11 Kenmare 0–07
1990 St Brendan's, Ardfert 3–08 Ballyduff 0–14
1989 Ballyduff 1–12 St Brendan's, Ardfert 0–06
1988 Ballyduff 1-05 Kilmoyley 1-04
1987 Causeway 2-11 St Brendan's, Ardfert 1-09
1986 St Brendan's, Ardfert 3-11 Crotta O'Neill's 2-04
1985 Lixnaw 2-11 Crotta O'Neill's 0-11
1984 Ballyduff 3-08 Causeway 2-03
1983 Lixnaw 1-09 Kilmoyley 1-06
1982 Causeway 2-11 Lixnaw 0-09
1981 Causeway 2-11 Ballyduff 1-10
1980 Causeway 0-11 St Brendan's, Ardfert 0-05
1979 Causeway 4-06 Crotta O'Neill's 1-12
1978 Ballyduff 0-09 Causeway 0-06
1977 Ballyduff 4-06 St Brendan's, Ardfert 1-00
1976 Ballyduff 2-08 St Brendan's, Ardfert 2-06
1975 St Brendan's, Ardfert 5-07 Kilgarvan 3-06
1974 Abbeydorney 3-08 Austin Stacks 1-04
1973 Ballyduff 1-14 Causeway 1-06
1972 Ballyduff 2-09 Crotta O'Neill's 0-07
1971 Kilmoyley 2-12 Abbeydorney 1-12
1970 Kilmoyley 2-12 Killarney 4-04
1969 Killarney 2-06 Austin Stacks 2-05
1968 Crotta O'Neill's 1-06 Austin Stacks 1-05
1967 St Brendan's, Ardfert 1-08 Crotta O'Neill's 1-06
1966 Ballyduff 3-08 Lixnaw 3-07
1965 Ballyduff 2-11 Kilmoyley 2-03
1964 Kilmoyley 4-14 Lixnaw 5-05
1963 Kilmoyley W/O St Brendan's, Ardfert
1962 Kilmoyley 7-10 St Brendan's, Ardfert 4-03
1961 Ballyduff 5-07 St Brendan's, Ardfert 4-04
1960 Ballyduff 1-07 Lixnaw 1-05
1959 Ballyduff 3-05 Kilgarvan 2-02
1958 Kilgarvan 2-05 Kilmoyley 0-03
1957 Ballyduff 5-05 Crotta O'Neill's 2-00
1956 Kilgarvan 6-06 Kilmoyley 2-03
1955 Ballyduff 3-01 Kilmoyley 1-02
1954 Lixnaw 5-04 Abbeydorney 1-01
1953 Kilgarvan 4-04 Lixnaw 2-01
1952 St Brendan's, Ardfert 3-04 Crotta O'Neill's 2-02
1951 Crotta O'Neill's 3-03 Killarney 2-01
1950 Crotta O'Neill's 6-02 Kilmoyley 4-01
1949 St Brendan's, Ardfert 4-02 Ballyduff 2-04
1948 Kilmoyley 5-02 Ballyheigue 3-06
1947 Crotta O'Neill's 4-07 Kenmare 1-03
1946 Ballyheigue 2-01 Kilmoyley 0-02
1945 Crotta O'Neill's 5-07 Kenmare 2-05
1944 Crotta O'Neill's 9-05 Kilgarvan 2-02
1943 Crotta O'Neill's 3-03 Kenmare 1-03
1942 Kenmare 2-04 Lixnaw 2-02
1941 Crotta O'Neill's 4-03 Ballyheigue 2-03
1940 Banna 5-03 Dingle 2-03
1939 Crotta O'Neill's 8-06 Shannon Rovers 6-00
1938 Kilflynn Pearses 4-03 Ballyduff 4-01
1937 Kilflynn Pearses 7-01 St Brendan's, Ardfert 3-01
1936 St. Brendan's (Div) 5-01 John Mitchels 1-01
1935 Not Played
1934 Not Completed
1933 Lixnaw 2-01 Kilflynn 0-03
1932 Causeway 3-07 Rathmore 2-02
1931 Rock Street 8-02 Kilflynn 7-03
1930 Abandoned
1929 Rock Street 5-02 Boherbee 0-06
1928 Rock Street 4-02 Boherbee 0-02
1927 Championship Not Held
1926 Championship Not Held
1925 Tralee 8-05 North Kerry 2-03
1924 Abandoned
1923 Not Played
1922 Not Completed
1921 Not Played
1920 Abandoned
1919 Tralee Parnells W/O Kilgarvan
1918 Tralee Parnells 1-10 Kilgarvan 4-00
1917 Tubridy (game abandoned) Kenmare
1916 Tullig Gamecocks 2-04 Kenmare 2-01
1915 Not Played
1914 Kilmoyley W/O Lixnaw Davis'
1913 Abbeydorney Run on a league basis
1912 Tralee Mitchels 5-01 Ballyduff 5-00
1911 Tralee Mitchels 5-03 Tralee Parnells 1-02
1910 Kilmoyley 4-04 Kenmare 0-02
1909 Not held
1908 Tralee Mitchels 2-10 Kilmoyley 0-06
1907 Kilmoyley 1-00 Lixnaw 0-01
1906 Not held
1905 Kilmoyley Run on league basis
1904 Tralee Celtic 2-10 Kenmare 0-05
1903 Tralee Celtic 2-05 Kilmoyley 1-00
1902 Kenmare 2-02 Tralee Celtic 0-03
1901 Kilmoyley 2-09 Lixnaw 1-04
1900 Kilmoyley A 3-07 Abbeydorney B 1-02
1899 Not held
1898 Not held
1897 No record of championship
1896 Abbeydorney 1-03 Lixnaw 0-04
1895 Kilmoyley 1-10 Kenmare 0-03
1894 Kilmoyley 3-07 Lixnaw 1-04
1893 Abbeydorney W/O Kilmoyley
1892 Kilmoyley W/O Ballyduff
1891 Ballyduff 1-00 Kilmoyley 0-02
1890 Kilmoyley 2-02 Ballyduff 0-00
1889 Kenmare 1-00 Kilmoyley 0-03

Player records

Winning captains

Team records and statistics

By decade

The most successful team of each decade, judged by number of Kerry Senior Hurling Championship titles, is as follows:

Gaps

Longest gaps between successive championship titles:

Active gaps

Longest active gaps since last championship title:

See also

References
  1. "TG4 feature live referee mic for first time in Kerry SHC final". Hogan Stand. 8 August 2022.
  2. Stack, Damian (8 July 2022). "Kerry hurling final to be broadcast live by TG4 in a first for the competition". Irish Independent. Independent News & Media. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  3. Kerry County Board records
  4. "Causeway regain Kerry SHC title with win over Ballyduff". Irish Examiner. 8 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  5. "Harty the giant for Causeway as they dethrone champions Lixnaw". 27 August 2019.
  6. "Conway is star man for Lixnaw on day referee requires Garda escort at finale". Irish Independent. 27 August 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  7. "Kerry SHC final: Conway comes to Lixnaw's rescue". Hogan Stand. 8 October 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  8. "Kerry SHC final replay: Boyle is Ballyduff's hat-trick hero". Hogan Stand. 15 September 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  9. "Kerry SHC final: Boyle forces replay". Hogan Stand. 11 September 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  10. "Kilmoyley survive fightback in Kerry replay". Irish Independent. 26 September 2016. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  11. "Kilmoyley kingpins for 23rd time". Irish Examiner. 28 September 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  12. "Kerry SHC final replay: Eighth title for Lixnaw". Hogan Stand. 11 October 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  13. "Egan saves Saints with dramatic late equaliser". Irish Examiner. 14 October 2013. Retrieved 14 October 2013.
  14. "Famine over for Brendan's". Irish Examiner. 28 October 2013. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
  15. "Ballyduff land 24th title". Irish Examiner. 8 October 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2012.
  16. "Kerry SHC: Ballyduff battle back to deny O'Neill's". Hogan Stand. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  17. "Kerry SHC: Ballyduff power to 22nd title". Hogan Stand. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  18. "Kerry SHC: Kilmoyley win record 22nd title". Hogan Stand. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  19. "Kerry SHC final: Daly's Kilmoyley cruise to victory". Hogan Stand. 20 October 2008. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  20. "Lixnaw take the title in surprise win". Irish Independent. 8 October 2007. Retrieved 11 December 2008.
  21. "Ballyduff triumph in Kerry hurling decider". Hogan Stand. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  22. "Lixnaw capture SHC title". Hogan Stand. 17 October 2005. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  23. "Four in-a-row for Kilmoyley". Hogan Stand. 4 October 2004. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  24. "Three-in-a-row for Kilmoyley". Hogan Stand. 6 October 2003. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  25. "Kilmoyley retain Kerry SHC crown". Hogan Stand. 30 September 2002. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  26. "Fifth title for Ballyheigue". Hogan Stand. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
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