2018 Christy Ring Cup

2018 Christy Ring Cup
Dates	12 May – 23 June 2018
Teams	8
Champions	Kildare (2nd title); Brian Byrne (captain); Joe Quaid (manager)
Runners-up	London; Brian Regan (captain); Fergus McMahon (manager)
Tournament statistics
Matches played	15
Official website	gaa.ie
← 2017 (Previous)	(Next) 2019 →

The 2018 Christy Ring Cup^[1] was the 14th staging of the Christy Ring Cup hurling championship since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 2005. It is the third tier^[2] of senior inter-county hurling. The competition began on 12 May 2018 and ended on 23 June 2018.

Carlow were the 2017 champions, beating Antrim in the final. Both teams were included in the counties competing in the newly created Joe McDonagh Cup. Roscommon lost their play-off match against Mayo in 2017 – normally Roscommon would have been relegated but they remained in the 2018 Christy Ring Cup as a result of the restructuring of the hurling championship tiers.^[3]

Kildare were the 2018 Chrisy Ring champions, defeating London by 3–19 to 1–11 in the final. Kildare lost the relegation/promotion game against Antrim and remained in the Christy Ring Cup for 2019.

Team changes edit

To Championship edit

Relegated from the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship

None

Promoted from the Nicky Rackard Cup

Armagh
Derry

From Championship edit

Promoted to the Joe McDonagh Cup

Relegated to the Nicky Rackard Cup

None

Format edit

Beginning in 2018, the Christy Ring Cup changed to an initial stage of two groups of four teams. Previously it was a double elimination tournament. The top two teams from both groups advance to the semi-finals. In 2018, teams at the bottom of each group will automatically be relegated to the Nicky Rackard Cup for 2019. In subsequent years, the bottom teams will meet in a relegation playoff to decide the one team relegated to the following year's Nicky Rackard Cup.

The Christy Ring champions contest a promotion/relegation playoff with the second bottom team in the Joe McDonagh Cup with the winner earning the right to compete in the 2019 Joe McDonagh Cup.

Following the creation of the Joe McDonagh Cup in 2018, the Christy Ring Cup was reclassified as tier 3 (it was previously tier 2).

Teams edit

General Information edit

County	Cup Titles	Last Cup Title	Position in 2017 championship
Armagh	0	-	Runners-up (Nicky Rackard Cup)
Derry	0	-	Champions (Nicky Rackard Cup)
Down	1	2013	Semi-finals
Kildare	1	2014	Quarter-finals
London	1	2012	Quarter-finals
Mayo	0	-	Round 2
Roscommon	0	-	Round 2
Wicklow	0	-	Semi-finals

Personnel and kits edit

County	Manager	Sponsor
Armagh
Derry
Down
Kildare	Joe Quaid	Brady Family
London		Clayton Hotels
Mayo		Intersport Elvery's
Roscommon
Wicklow

Group stage edit

Group 1 edit

Group 1 Table edit

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	SF	SA	Diff	Pts	Qualification
1	Kildare	3	3	0	89	58	31	6	Advance to Knockout Stage
2	Wicklow	3	2	1	72	64	8	4	Advance to Knockout Stage
3	Roscommon	3	1	2	48	71	-22	2
4	Mayo	3	0	3	46	63	-17	0	Relegation to Nicky Rackard Cup

Group 1 Rounds 1 to 3 edit

Group 1 Round 1 edit

12 May 2018 Round 1	Kildare	4-26 - 1-09	Roscommon	St. Conleth's Park, Newbridge
	B Cormack 0-15 (11fs, 1 '65'); M Fitzgerald 3-3; S Ryan 1-0; P Divilly 0-3 (1f); É O'Neill, M Grace, N O'Muineacháin, M Purcell, K Whelan 0-1 each.	Report	N Connaughton 1-2; D Glynn 0-4 (2fs); J Keane (f), J Kilkenny, R Fallon (f), A Moore 0-1 each.	Referee: S Hynes (Galway)

12 May 2018 Round 1	Wicklow	1-20 - 2-11	Mayo	Joule Park, Aughrim
	A O'Brien 0-8 (5f), M Lee 0-4, S Germaine 1-1, C Moorehouse, PJ Nolan 0-2 each, G Byrne, D Staunton, G O'Brien 0-1 each.	Report	K Feeney 0-9 (8f), C Scahill, E Ryan 1-0 each, P Kiely, S Boland 0-1 each.	Referee: P Burke (Kilkenny)

Group 1 Round 2 edit

19 May 2018 Round 2	Mayo	1-15 - 2-14	Kildare	MacHale Park, Castlebar
	K Feeney 0-9 (7f)), K Higgins 1-1, B Morley, S Boland, E Ryan, P Kiely and D O'Brien (1f) 0-1 each.	Report	S Ryan 1-2, B Cormack 0-4 (4f), B Sheridan 1-1, P Divilly 0-3 (1f), N O'Muineachain, K Whelan, C Bonus and B Deay 0-1 each.	Referee: R McGann (Clare)

19 May 2018 Round 2	Roscommon	0-16 - 2-16	Wicklow	Dr. Hyde Park, Roscommon
	D Glynn 0-10 (5f, 1 '65), M Byrne, S Curley (sideline), E Flanagan, K Hardiman, W Boyle, N Connaughton 0-1 each.	Report	A O'Brien 1-4 (1-0 pen, 2 '65s, 1f), M Lee 0-4 (1f), D Staunton 1-0, PJ Nolan, R Keddy,C Moorehouse (1f) 0-2 each,E Kearns, G O'Brien 0-1 each.	Referee: N Wall (Cork)

Group 1 Round 3 edit

2 June 2018 Round 3	Wicklow	3-18 - 4-19	Kildare	Joule Park, Aughrim
	A O'Brien 0-7 (2f), R Keddy 2-0, PJ Nolan 0-5, E Donohue 1-1, P Keane, G Byrne, P Doyle, G O'Brien, M Lee 0-1 each.	Report	J Sheridan 2-5 (1 sl), M Fitzgerald 2-1, B Cormack (3f), S Ryan 0-3 each, J Burke (1f), B Byrne 0-2 each, C Bonus, K Whelan, P Divilly 0-1 each.	Referee: T Walsh (Waterford)

2 June 2018 Round 3	Roscommon	1-17 - 0-11	Mayo	Athleague Sportsfield, Athleague
	D Glynn 1-3 (1-3f), J Keane 0-5 (5f), C Kenny 0-3, R Fallon 0-2, S Curley (sideline), N Connaughton, H Rooney, C Egan 0-1 each.	Report	S Boland 0-5 (5f), K Higgins & C Freeman 0-2 (1f) each, K Feeney (f) & B Morley 0-1 each.	Referee: S Stack (Dublin)

Group 2 edit

Group 2 Table edit

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	SF	SA	Diff	Pts	Qualification
1	London	3	2	1	88	60	28	4	Advance to Knockout Stage
2	Derry	3	2	1	89	65	24	4	Advance to Knockout Stage
3	Down	3	2	1	92	69	23	4
4	Armagh	3	0	3	39	114	-75	0	Relegation to Nicky Rackard Cup

London, Derry and Down all finished on 4 points and were ranked on score difference.

Group 2 Rounds 1 to 3 edit

Group 2 Round 1 edit

12 May 2018 Round 1	Derry	1-18 - 1-20	London	Dean McGlinchey Park, Ballinascreen
1:00 pm	C O'Doherty 0-11 (9fs), S McGuigan 1-0, N Waldron 0-3, C McKaigue 0-2, M McGuigan, C Waldron 0-1.	Report	A Sheehan 0-10 (6fs), K O'Loughlin 1-2, R Murphy 0-3 (2fs), K Reid, F Collins, H Vaughan, C Nelson, J Troy 0-1 each.	Referee: J Keane (Galway)

12 May 2018 Round 1	Down	6-21 - 0-11	Armagh	McKenna Park, Ballycran
	D Sands 3-3, P Sheehan 0-7 (5fs), E Sands 1-3, O McManus 1-1, D McManus 1-0, M Magee, D Toner, C Bailie 0-2 each, M Fisher 0-1.	Report	N Curry 0-7 (6fs), D McCreesh 0-2, S Renaghan, D Magee 0-1 each.	Referee: A Devine (Westmeath)

Group 2 Round 2 edit

19 May 2018 Round 2	Armagh	1-14 - 2-30	Derry	Athletic Grounds, Armagh
1:00 pm	D McCreesh 0-5, S Renaghan 1-1,C Rice 0-2, E McGuinness, D McKenna, J Corvan, N Curry (f), D Gaffney, S Toal 0-1 each	Report	A Grant 0-7 (4f, 1 '65); B Cassidy 0-6 (3f),M McGrath 1-3; N Waldron 1-1, S McGuigan 0-4; D Cartin, M McGuigan, G Bradley, C Waldron 0-2 each; P Cleary 0-1.	Referee: L Gordon (Galway)

20 May 2018 Round 2	London	1-23 - 2-22	Down	McGovern Park, Ruislip
2:30pm	C Nelson 1-6, A Sheehan 0-7 (2f, 1 '65'), S Lawless 0-4, K O'Loughlin 0-3, C Burke 0-2, R Murphy 0-1 (1f).	Report	D Toner 1-6, P Sheehan 0-7 (5f, 1 '65'), D Sands 1-2, P Og McCrickard 0-4, C Bailie 0-2, D McManus 0-1.	Referee: P Murphy (Carlow)

Group 2 Round 3 edit

2 June 2018 Round 3	Derry	1-29 - 2-19	Down	Watty Graham Park, Maghera
1:00 pm	C O'Doherty 1-17 (16f), M McGrath 0-3, B Cassidy, A Grant 0-2 each, R Convery (f), M McGuigan, C McKaigue, N Waldron, C Waldron 0-1 each.	Report	P Sheehan 0-9 (6f), D Sands 2-0, D McManus 0-3, O McManus 0-2, E Sands, P McCrickard, C Bailie, D Toner, R Branagan 0-1 each.

2 June 2018 Round 3	Armagh	0-11 – 4-27	London	Athletic Grounds, Armagh
1:00 pm	C McAnallen 0-5 (5f), E McGuinness, S Renaghan, D McCreesh 0-2 each.	Report	C Nelson 0-6, S Lawless 1-2, A Sheehan (1f, 2'65's'), M Duggan, C Burke 0-4 each, J Troy 1-1, M Dwyer 0-3, F Collins 1-0, H Vaughan 1-0 M Ivors (f), R Murphy, C McAlinden 0-1 each.	Referee: A Devine (Westmeath)

Knockout stage edit

Bracket edit

Semi-Finals		Final

London	2-28

Wicklow	2-14
		London	1-11

		Kildare	3-19
Kildare	3-18

Derry	2-13

Semi-finals edit

The Group 1 winners play the Group 2 runners-up and the Group 2 winners play the Group 1 runners-up.

9 June 2018

Semi-final

London	2-28 - 2-14	Wicklow
A Sheehan 0-13 (6fs, 2 65s); S Lawless 2-1; H Vaughan 0-3; M Dwyer, J Troy, M Duggan 0-2 each; C Burke, S Conlon, M Ivors, S Lohan, R Murphy 0-1 each	Report	A O'Brien 1-5; (0-3fs, 0-1 65); G O'Brien 1-1; P Doyle 0-3; D Staunton 0-2; R Keddy, S Kelly, E Donoghue 0-1 each

Dr. Cullen Park, Carlow

Referee: J O'Brien (Laois)

10 June 2018

Semi-final

Kildare	3-18 - 2-13	Derry
J Sheridan 2-0, B Cormack 0-5f, J Burke 0-4(2f), M Fitzgerald 1-1, S Ryan 0-2, M Moloney, M Grace, N O’Muineacháin, B Byrne, P Divilly and K Whelan 0-1 each	Report	C O’Doherty 0-6(5f), S McGuigan 1-2, B Rogers 1-1, G Bradley 0-2, P Cleary and C Waldron 0-1 each

Grattan Park, Inniskeen

Final edit

23 June 2018

2:00 pm

Final

London	1-11 - 3-19	Kildare
A Sheehan 0-6 (5f), C Nelson 1-0, K O’Loughlin 0-2 (2f), S Lawless, J Troy D O’Regan 0-1 each	Report	James Burke 0-8, Jack Sheridan 2-1, Shane Ryan 1-0, Eanna O'Neill 0-2, Mark Delaney 0-2, Niall Ó Muineacháin 0-2, Paul Divily 0-1, Martin Fitzgerald 0-1, Brian Byrne 0-1, Kevin Whelan 0-1

Croke Park, Dublin

Referee: Patrick Murphy (Carlow)

Relegation/promotion playoff edit

30 June 2018

Relegation/Promotion

Antrim	3-23 - 1-17	Kildare
	Report

Athletic Grounds

Antrim retain their place in the Joe McDonagh Cup for 2019, while Kildare remain in the Christy Ring Cup for 2019.

Stadia and locations edit

County	Location	Province	Stadium(s)	Capacity
Neutral venue	Dublin	Leinster	Croke Park	82,300
Armagh	Armagh	Ulster	Athletic Grounds	18,500
Derry	Derry	Ulster	Celtic Park	22,000
Down	Newry	Ulster	Páirc Esler	20,000
Kildare	Newbridge	Leinster	St Conleth's Park	8,200
London	South Ruislip	Britain	McGovern Park	3,000
Mayo	Castlebar	Connacht	MacHale Park	25,369
Roscommon	Roscommon	Connacht	Dr Hyde Park	25,000
Wicklow	Aughrim	Leinster	Aughrim County Ground	7,000

Stadiums and locations edit

County	Location	Stadium
Armagh	Armagh	Athletic Grounds
Derry	Ballinascreen	Dean McGlinchey Park
Down	Ballycran	McKenna Park
Kildare	Newbridge	St Conleth's Park
London	South Ruislip	McGovern Park
Mayo	Castlebar	MacHale Park
Roscommon	Roscommon	Dr Hyde Park
Wicklow	Aughrim	Joule Park

Championship statistics edit

Top scorers edit

Overall edit

Updated to 2 June 2018

Rank	Player	Club	Tally	Total	Matches	Average
1	Cormac O'Doherty	Derry	1-28	31	2	15.50
2	Daithí Sands	Down	6-05	23	3	7.66
2	Paul Sheehan	Down	0-23	23	3	7.66
4	Andy O'Brien	Wicklow	1-19	22	3	7.33
4	Barry Cormack	Kildare	0-22	22	3	7.33
6	Aaron Sheehan	London	0-21	21	3	7.00
7	Daniel Glynn	Roscommon	1-17	20	3	6.66
8	Martin Fitzgerald	Kildare	5-04	19	3	6.33
8	Kenny Feeney	Mayo	0-19	19	3	6.33
10	Colin Nelson	London	1-13	16	3	5.33

In a single game edit

Rank	Player	Club	Tally	Total	Opposition
1	Cormac O'Doherty	Derry	1-17	20	Down
2	Barry Cormack	Kildare	0-15	15	Roscommon
3	Aaron Sheehan	London	0-13	13	Wicklow
4	Daithí Sands	Down	3-03	12	Armagh
4	Martin Fitzgerald	Kildare	3-03	12	Roscommon
6	Jack Sheridan	Kildare	2-05	11	Wicklow
6	Cormac O'Doherty	Derry	0-11	11	London
8	Aaron Sheehan	London	0-10	10	Derry
8	Daniel Glynn	Roscommon	0-10	10	Wicklow

Miscellaneous edit

Kildare won their 1st championship in 4 years, winning the 2014 Christy Ring Cup.

References edit

^ For official fixtures and results see Christy Ring Cup at gaa.ie
^ Hurling tiers - 1. All-Ireland (Liam MacCarthy Cup) 2. Joe McDonagh Cup 3. Christy Ring Cup 4. Nicky Rackard Cup 5. Lory Meagher Cup
^ Healy, Paul (25 May 2017). "Hurlers get that sinking feeling again". Roscommon People. Archived from the original on 30 October 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.

[1] For official fixtures and results see Christy Ring Cup at gaa.ie

[2] Hurling tiers - 1. All-Ireland (Liam MacCarthy Cup) 2. Joe McDonagh Cup 3. Christy Ring Cup 4. Nicky Rackard Cup 5. Lory Meagher Cup

[3] Healy, Paul (25 May 2017). "Hurlers get that sinking feeling again". Roscommon People. Archived from the original on 30 October 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.

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