All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship
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The All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the ESB Minor Hurling Championship) is the premier "knockout" competition for the youngest competitors of the game of hurling played in Ireland. The series of games are organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association and are played during the summer months with the All-Ireland Minor Hurling Final being played on the first or second Sunday in September in Croke Park, Dublin. The minor final provides the curtain-raiser to the senior final.
The current All-Ireland minor hurling champions are Tipperary, having beaten Galway by a scoreline of 2-18 to 2-7 at Croke Park on September 3, 2006.
[edit] Overview
The All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship features the youngest competitive players of the game of hurling - players must be under eighteen years of age on 1 January of the year of the competition. The first minor championship was played in 1928 when Cork were crowned the champions. The championship has been held every year since then, however, it was suspended for a period during The Emergency.
The 'Big Three' of Cork, Kilkenny and Tipperary are the most dominant teams in minor hurling. All three counties have claimed famous three-in-rows over the years. The coveted treble of winning senior, under-21 and minor titles in the same year has been achieved by Cork in 1970 and by Kilkenny in 1975 and 2003.
[edit] Roll of Honour
| Club | Winners | Winning Years |
|---|---|---|
 Kilkenny |
18 | 1931, 1935, 1936, 1950, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1981, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1993, 2002, 2003 |
 Cork |
18 | 1928, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1941, 1951, 1964, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1974, 1978, 1979, 1985, 1995, 1998, 2001 |
 Tipperary |
17 | 1930, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1947, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1976, 1980, 1982, 1996, 2006 |
 Galway |
7 | 1983, 1992, 1994, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2005 |
 Dublin |
4 | 1945, 1946, 1954, 1965 |
 Offaly |
3 | 1986, 1987, 1989 |
 Limerick |
3 | 1940, 1958, 1984 |
 Wexford |
3 | 1963, 1966, 1968 |
 Waterford |
2 | 1929, 1948 |
 Clare |
1 | 1997 |
