Walsh Cup (hurling)
| Walsh Cup | |
|---|---|
Current season or competition: 2015 Walsh Cup | |
 | |
| Irish | Corn Uí Bhreatnach |
| Code | Hurling |
| Founded | 1954 |
| Region |
 Leinster (GAA) |
| Trophy | Thomas Walsh Memorial Cup |
| No. of teams | 12 (2015) |
| Title holders | Galway (2nd title) |
| Most titles | Kilkenny (19 titles) |
| Sponsors | Bord na Móna |
| TV partner(s) | TG4 |
| Official website | leinster.gaa.ie |
The Walsh Cup (Irish: Corn Uí Bhreatnach), originally known as the Leinster Accident Fund Tournament, is an annual hurling competition staged in Ireland by the Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). Contested by the top county and college teams from the provinces of Leinster, Ulster and Connacht, the tournament has taken place every year with a few exceptions since 1954. The competition operates on a straight knock-out system and runs from January to February, with most games played on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, the others during weekday evenings. Sponsored by Bord na Móna, it is therefore officially known as the Bord na Móna Walsh Cup.
The Walsh Cup is part of a series of GAA tournaments known as the Bord na Móna Leinster GAA Series, along with the Kehoe Cup and the O'Byrne Cup. The original purpose of these competitions was to raise funds to supplement an injury scheme for the players. Nowadays, the funds generated are used to alleviate hardship among players, mentors and families who are in financial difficulty. The funds are administered through the twelve counties of Leinster. Apart from this, the competitions provide an opportunity for the county teams to select their panel for the year and prepare for the National Hurling League (NHL), as well as preparing the college teams for the Fitzgibbon Cup.[1]
Twelve teams currently participate in the Walsh Cup, most of which are from the province of Leinster. Since its inception in 1954, a total of 9 teams have won the tournament. Kilkenny have been the most successful team with 19 titles to their name.[2]
History
In 1954, the Leinster Council established a new inter-county tournament in an effort to raise funds to supplement the medical bills of players who were in financial difficulty. This scheme, known as the Players' Injury Fund, was the first of its kind to be offered by a provincial GAA council. Originally known as the Leinster Accident Fund Tournament, it started as a knockout competition for the 12 counties in Leinster. In its inaugural year, the hurling tournament was the first to be played out and was won by Leinster champions, Wexford. The final took place on September 19, 1954 when they beat Dublin by 1-8 to 0-2 in Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford. This famous Wexford team then went on to win successive All-Irelands in 1955 and 1956. Following the death of former Leinster Council chairman Tom Walsh (Kilkenny) in July 1956, a cup was donated to the Leinster Council in his honour and thus the tournament became known as the Walsh Cup. The first winners of the new cup were All-Ireland champions Wexford, who beat Kilkenny in the final by 2-10 to 1-8 in Enniscorthy on October 14, 1956.[3]
During the fifties and sixties, the tournament was dominated by the stronger hurling counties of Kilkenny and Wexford. As a result of this, the Walsh Cup was not contested for much of the seventies. In 1977, a second cup was presented to the Leinster Council for a hurling competition which became known as the Kehoe Cup. The Leinster Council decided to alternate it with the Walsh Cup between the stronger and developing counties for the Players' Injury Fund.[4] As a result, Kilkenny and Wexford were moved to the Kehoe Cup and for the first time an Offaly team lifted the Walsh Cup after beating Dublin in the final by 7-7 to 1-7 on December 4, 1977 in Birr, County Offaly. The Walsh Cup was not contested again until 1980 when Laois won their first title, beating Carlow in the final by 2-12 to 2-10 on July 16 in Portlaoise. This was followed with wins by Offaly and Westmeath in 1981 and 1982. There was a break in the competition again from 1983 to 1986. When it recommenced in 1987, it was decided by the Leinster Council that the Walsh Cup would be used exclusively for the stronger hurling counties and the Kehoe Cup for the developing counties.
The last decade has seen many new teams enter into the Walsh Cup, including non-Leinster and college teams. In 2003, the Down hurlers made history by becoming the first non-Leinster team to compete in the tournament. In the year that followed, UCD became the first ever college team to enter the competition. They even won their debut tournament beating All-Ireland champions, Kilkenny, in Nolan Park by 2-16 to 0-5 on February 7, 2004.[5] Antrim followed suit of Down when they joined the competition in 2005 and made history as the first Ulster team to win the tournament on February 3, 2008. They lifted the trophy in front of a home crowd in Casement Park after beating Offaly by 3-9 to 2-7.[6] That same year saw Down lose in the quarter-finals, after which they moved to the Kehoe Cup. Galway were the first Connacht team to enter the Walsh Cup which came about in 2009 as part of their move from the Connacht Championship to the Leinster Championship in a bid to play hurling in a more competitive environment. Along with the county hurlers, Galway colleges GMIT and NUIG followed suit, as well as Dublin College DIT. Despite GMIT moving to the Kehoe Cup in 2010, the Galway county hurlers won their first ever Walsh Cup, beating Dublin by 1-22 to 1-15 on February 14 in Parnell Park. In November 2011, Antrim decided to withdraw from the 2012 competition due to the appointment of a new management team, but then returned to the competition in 2013.[7]
Format
The Walsh Cup is a straight knockout tournament with each match played as a single leg. The pairings are drawn at random without seeding and the draw usually takes place in November or December of the previous year. Out of the twelve teams that are entered into the draw, eight are drawn to compete in the first round and the remaining four teams that are drawn automatically qualify for the quarter-finals. The four winning teams from the first round progress to the quarter-finals while the losing teams are drawn against each other to compete for the Walsh Cup Shield. If a match ends in a draw, it is settled in extra time. However, if the score remains level at the end of extra time, a replay takes place and so on until a winner is found.
Eligible teams
Only the top county and college teams from the provinces of Leinster, Ulster and Connacht are eligible to compete in the Walsh Cup. Promotion to the Walsh Cup is not necessarily guaranteed by winning the Kehoe Cup, but rather based on a mutual decision made by the Leinster Council and the team in question. Twelve teams currently participate in the Walsh Cup. The county teams include Antrim, Carlow, Dublin, Galway, Kilkenny, Laois, Offaly, Westmeath and Wexford, while the college teams consist of Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG) and University College Dublin (UCD).
Trophy
At the end of the final, the winning team is presented with a trophy called the Thomas Walsh Memorial Cup, more commonly referred to as the Walsh Cup, which they hold until the following year's final. Traditionally, the trophy is presented by the Leinster Council to the captain of the winning team on a podium in one of the stands. The cup is decorated with ribbons in the colours of the winning team. During the game, the cup adorns both teams' colours and the runners-up ribbons are removed before the presentation. Individual members of the teams playing in the final are presented with winners and runners-up medals.
The present-day trophy was commissioned back in 1956 by the Kilkenny firm Mahon and McPhillips who donated it to the Leinster Council to honour Kilkenny politician Tom Walsh who died suddenly on July 14, 1956. Tom had served as chairman of the Leinster Council (1948–1950) as well as chairman of the Kilkenny County Board (1944–1956). During his political career with Fianna Fáil, he served as Minister for Agriculture (1951–1954) after being promoted to the Cabinet by Éamon de Valera. [8]
The trophy consists of a sterling silver cup with two large handles and a round mahogany base. It is decorated in the insular style typically found on ancient Irish chalices. A girdle of eight panels encircles the top of the cup, meeting the top of the handles on either side. Each of the panels are decorated with animal ornament and interlace and are separated by decorated studs. The large handles are decorated in a similar manner. There is an inscription in Irish on the front of the cup just below the girdle which reads "Corn Cuimhneacháin Tomás Breatnach" which translates to "Thomas Walsh Memorial Cup". The original trophy has been presented to every winning team since it was first presented to the great Wexford team in 1956 making it one of the longest serving trophies in inter-county hurling.[9]
Sponsorship
In December 2011, the Leinster Council announced a new partnership with Bord na Móna which would provide the competition with a sponsor for the first time in its then 57-year history. This three-year sponsorship deal began in January 2012 and helps fund what is now known as the Bord na Móna Leinster GAA Series, which includes the Walsh Cup and Shield, the Kehoe Cup and Shield, and the O'Byrne Cup and Shield. The sponsorship also helps to finance the Leinster GAA's hardship fund, which is the only one of its kind offered by a provincial GAA council and has been in existence since the establishment of the tournament in 1954. In the past, this fund has helped local communities, families and players to finance medical bills, rebuild homes lost through tragic circumstances and made financial payments to assist disabled players.[10]
Below is a list of sponsors and the sponsored name of the competition:
| Period | Sponsor | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1954–1955 | No sponsor | Leinster Accident Fund Tournament |
| 1956–2011 | No sponsor | Walsh Cup |
| 2012–2014 | Bord na Móna | Bord na Móna Walsh Cup |
Records and statistics
The Walsh Cup has been contested 49 times since its establishment in 1954. The first team to win the Walsh Cup was Wexford, who have since held the title on 15 occasions and been runners-up 12 times. The most successful team to date has been Kilkenny, who have won 18 titles and finished runners-up 15 times. A total of 9 different teams have won the tournament since it began, 7 of which were from Leinster, one from Connacht (Galway) and one from Ulster (Antrim). Of the remaining 6 Leinster teams, Carlow, Meath and Wicklow are yet to win the competition, while Kildare, Longford and Louth are yet to even contest a final. UCD are the only third-level team to have won the tournament (2004).
Roll of honour
| Team | Winners | Runners-up | Years winners | Years runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Kilkenny |
|
|
1955, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1970, 1973, 1974, 1988, 1989, 1992, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2014 | 1956, 1960, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2011 |
 Wexford |
|
|
1954, 1956, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1987, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 | 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1970, 1973, 1989, 1992, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2013 |
 Dublin |
|
|
1960, 1964, 1966, 2003, 2011, 2013 | 1954, 1957, 1958, 1969, 1977, 1997, 2010, 2014, 2015 |
 Offaly |
|
|
1977, 1981, 1990, 1993, 1994 | 1966, 1974, 1987, 1985, 2008 |
 Galway |
|
|
2010, 2015 | 2009, 2012 |
 Laois |
|
|
1980, 1991 | 1981, 1988, 1996, 2001 |
| Westmeath |
|
|
1982 | 1955 |
| UCD |
|
|
2004 | |
 Antrim |
|
|
2008 | |
 Carlow |
|
|
1980 | |
 Wicklow |
|
|
1982 | |
 Meath |
|
|
1994 |
No competition: 1971, 1972, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1983–1986.[11]
Finals
| Year | Winners | Score | Runners-up | Score | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Antrim |
3-09 (18) | Offaly |
2-07 (13) | Casement Park, Belfast |
| 2009AET | Kilkenny |
2-17 (23) | Galway |
1-18 (21) | Freshford, Co. Kilkenny |
| 2010 | Galway |
1-22 (25) | Dublin |
1-15 (18) | Parnell Park, Donnycarney |
| 2011 | Dublin |
2-17 (23) | Kilkenny |
2-13 (19) | Parnell Park, Donnycarney |
| 2012 | Kilkenny |
2-20 (26) | Galway |
1-14 (17) | Pearse Stadium, Salthill |
| 2013 | Dublin |
1-19 (22) | Wexford |
0-16 (16) | Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford |
| 2014 | Kilkenny |
0-24 (24) | Dublin |
1-17 (20) | Croke Park, Dublin |
| 2015 | Galway |
1-22 (25) | Dublin |
1-20 (23) | Croke Park, Dublin |
AET: After extra time.
Walsh Cup Shield
| Walsh Cup Shield | |
|---|---|
|
Current season or competition: 2013 Walsh Cup Shield | |
| Irish | Sciath Choirn Uí Bhreatnaigh |
| Code | Hurling |
| Founded | 2008 |
| Region |
Leinster (GAA) |
| Trophy | The Walsh Shield |
| No. of teams | 4 (2014) |
| Title holders | Carlow (1st title) |
| Most titles | Offaly & Laois (2 titles) |
| Sponsors | Bord na Móna |
| TV partner(s) | TG4 |
| Official website | leinster.gaa.ie |
The Walsh Cup Shield (Irish: Sciath Choirn Uí Bhreatnaigh) is a competition for the teams that lose in the first round of the Walsh Cup. The four losing teams are drawn against each other in a straight knockout tournament. Established in 2008, it was set up to give the losing teams more than one competitive game in preparation for the NHL. The competition runs in parallel with the final stages of the Walsh Cup during the months of January and February. Sponsored also by Bord na Móna, it is therefore officially known as the Bord na Móna Walsh Cup Shield.
Since the inception of the Walsh Cup Shield in 2008, a total of 4 teams have won the tournament. Offaly and Laois have been the most successful teams having won 2 titles each.[12] The current title holders are Carlow, who won the 2014 tournament.[13]
Roll of honour
| Team | Winners | Runners-up | Years winners | Years runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offaly |
|
|
2011, 2012 | 2009 |
| Laois |
|
|
2008, 2010 | |
| Carlow |
|
|
2014 | 2010, 2011 |
| DIT |
|
|
2013 | 2012 |
| Dublin |
|
|
2009 | |
| Westmeath |
|
|
2008, 2014 |
Finals
| Year | Winners | Score | Runners-up | Score | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Laois |
2-14 (20) | Westmeath |
2-11 (17) | Kinnegad, Co. Westmeath |
| 2009 | Dublin |
1-20 (23) | Offaly |
2-15 (21) | Banagher, Co. Offaly |
| 2010 | Laois |
1-16 (18) | Carlow |
1-10 (13) | Dr. Cullen Park, Carlow |
| 2011R | Offaly |
3-23 (32) | Carlow |
2-14 (20) | O'Moore Park, Port Laoise |
| 2012 | Offaly |
0-22 (22) | DIT |
1-14 (17) | O'Moore Park, Port Laoise |
| 2013 | DIT |
3-13 (22) | Westmeath |
2-05 (11) | Mullingar, Co. Westmeath |
| 2014 | Carlow |
1-16 (19) | Westmeath |
1-07 (10) | Dr. Cullen Park, Carlow |
R: Replayed after original final was abandoned in extra time.
References
- ↑ "Leinster GAA joins forces with Bord na Móna to boost hardship fund". Bord na Móna. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
- ↑ "Walsh Cup Senior Hurling Roll Of Honour". Leinster GAA. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
- ↑ Humphrey Kelleher (2013). GAA Family Silver. Sportsfile. pp. 152–153. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
- ↑ Humphrey Kelleher (2013). GAA Family Silver. Sportsfile. pp. 154–155. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
- ↑ "UCD defeat Kilkenny to claim Walsh Cup". RTÉ Sport. 7 February 2004. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
- ↑ "Antrim 3-09 Offaly 2-07". RTÉ Sport. 3 March 2008. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
- ↑ "Antrim pull out of Walsh Cup". RTÉ Sport. 16 November 2011. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
- ↑ Humphrey Kelleher (2013). GAA Family Silver. Sportsfile. pp. 152–153. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
- ↑ Humphrey Kelleher (2013). GAA Family Silver. Sportsfile. pp. 152–153. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
- ↑ "Leinster GAA joins forces with Bord na Móna to boost hardship fund". Bord na Móna. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
- ↑ "Walsh Cup Senior Hurling Roll Of Honour". Leinster GAA. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
- ↑ "Walsh Cup Senior Hurling Shield Roll Of Honour". Leinster GAA. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
- ↑ "GAA results: 26 January". RTÉ Sport. 27 January 2014. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
External links
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