The Cork Premier Junior Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Co-Op Superstores Cork Premier Junior Hurling Championship and abbreviated to the Cork PJHC) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Cork County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association and contested by the top-ranking junior clubs in the county of Cork in Ireland. It is the fifth tier overall in the entire Cork hurling championship system.
| Cork Premier Junior Hurling Championship | |
|---|---|
Current season or competition: 2024 Cork Premier Junior Hurling Championship | |
| Code | Hurling |
| Founded | 2022 |
| Region |  Cork (GAA) |
| No. of teams | 12 |
| Title holders |  Russell Rovers (1st title) |
| Most titles | Ballygiblin .svg){kind=small} Erin's Own Russell Rovers (1 titles) |
| Sponsors | Co-Op Superstores |
| Official website | Official website |
The Cork Premier Junior Championship was introduced in 2022 following a restructuring of the various intermediate and junior championships.
In its current format, the Cork Premier Junior Championship begins in mid-summer. The 12 participating club teams are into three groups of four teams and play each other in a round-robin system. The three group winners and the three runners-up proceed to the knockout phase that culminates with the final match at Páirc Uí Rinn. The winner of the Cork Premier Junior Championship qualifies for the subsequent Munster Club Championship.
Russel Rovers won the 2024 title, after defeating St Catherine's in the 2024 final.[1]
History
editIn March 2019, Cork County Board delegates voted on the restructuring of the entire Cork hurling championship system following an extensive review process.[2][3] The plan hoped to reduce the number of teams in the top four tiers to 48, a move which required a restructuring of the intermediate and junior grades. The result was the creation of the Cork Lower Intermediate Hurling Championship, a two-year temporary championship which would result in several teams being regraded to Junior and the championship being eventually discontinued.[4] In February 2022, the County Board took a further vote on the future of the club junior and intermediate championships.[5] Delegates voted in favour of Option B which saw the Lower Intermediate Championship being rebranded as the Premier Junior Championship.[6]
Format
editGroup stage
editThe 12 teams are divided into three groups of four. Over the course of the group stage, each team plays once against the others in the group, resulting in each team being guaranteed at least three 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 knockout stage.
Knockout stage
editQuarter-finals: Two lone quarter-finals featuring the four lowest-placed qualifying teams from the group stage. Two teams qualify for the next round.
Semi-finals: The two quarter-final winners and the top two highest-placed qualifying teams from the group stage contest this round. The two winners from these games advance to the final.
Final: The two semi-final winners contest the final. The winning team are declared champions.
Promotion and relegation
editAt the end of the championship, the winning team was automatically promoted to the Cork Intermediate A Championship for the following season. The two worst-ranked teams from the group stage took part in a playoff, with the losing team being relegated to the Cork Junior A Championship.
Teams
edit2025 teams
editThe 12 teams due to compete in the 2025 Cork Premier Junior Hurling Championship include:[citation needed]
| Team | Location | Division | Colours | Position in 2024 | In Championship since | Championship titles (JAHC) | Last championship title (JAHC) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Argideen Rangers
|
Timoleague | Carbery | Maroon and white | Relegation playoff winners | 2022 | 1 | 1996 |
| Ballygarvan
|
Ballygarvan | Carrigdhoun | Red and white | Semi-finals | 2022 | 1 | 2004 |
 Barryroe
|
Barryroe | Carbery | Blue and navy | Group stage | 2022 | 1 | 2007 |
 Cloughduv
|
Cloughduv | Muskerry | Green and yellow | Relegated (Cork IAHC) | 2025 | 3 | 2018 |
 Glen Rovers
|
Blackpool | Seandún | Green, yellow and black | Quarter-finals | 2022 | 2 | 1950 |
| Kilbrittain
|
Kilbrittain | Carbery | Black and yellow | Group stage | 2022 | 1 | 1985 |
| Meelin
|
Meelin | Duhallow | Green and gold | Group stage | 2023 | 1 | 2010 |
 Milford
|
Milford | Avondhu | Blue and white | Quarter-finals | 2022 | 1 | 1981 |
 Nemo Rangers
|
Trabeg | Seandún | Black and green | Semi-finals | 2024 | 2 | 2023 |
 St. Catherine's
|
Ballynoe | Imokilly | Purple and yellow | Runners-up | 2022 | 2 | 2017 |
 St. Finbarr's
|
Togher | Seandún | Blue and yellow | Group stage | 2022 | 3 | 1956 |
| Cork JAHC winners | TBD | TBD | TBD | Champions (Cork JAHC) | 2025 | TBD | TBD |
Sponsorship
editCo-Op Superstores were unveiled as the title sponsor for all of Cork GAA's hurling championships in July 2020.[7]
Qualification for subsequent competitions
editThe Cork Premier Junior Championship winners qualify for the subsequent Munster Junior Club Hurling Championship.[8]
Trophy and medals
editThe Jimmy O'Mahony Cup is the current prize for winning the championship. It was commissioned to honour Jimmy O'Mahony who served as secretary of the Newcestown club from 1967 until his death in September 2020.[9]
In accordance with GAA rules, the County Board awards a set of gold medals to the championship winners. The medals depict a stylised version of the Cork GAA crest.
Roll of Honour
editBy club
edit| # | Club | Titles | Runners-up | Championships won | Championships runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ballygiblin
|
1 | 0 | 2022 | — |
| Erin's Own
|
1 | 0 | 2023 | — | |
| Russell Rovers
|
1 | 0 | 2024 | — | |
| 4 | St Catherine's
|
0 | 2 | — | 2023, 2024 |
 Tracton
|
0 | 1 | — | 2022 |
By Division
edit| Division | Titles | Runners-Up | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Imokilly
|
2 | 2 | 4 |
| Avondhu
|
1 | 0 | 1 |
| Carrigdhoun
|
0 | 1 | 1 |
| Carbery
|
0 | 0 | 0 |
 Duhallow
|
0 | 0 | 0 |
 Muskerry
|
0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seandun
|
0 | 0 | 0 |
List of Finals
editLegend
edit- Gold – Munster junior club champions
- Silver – Munster junior club runners-up
List of Cork PJHC finals
edit| Year | Winners | Runners-up | Winning captain(s) | Venue | # | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Score | Club | Score | ||||
| 2024 | Russell Rovers | 3–13 | St Catherine's | 0–15 | Ciarán Sheehan | Páirc Uí Chaoimh | |
| 2023 | Erin's Own | 1–14 | St Catherine's | 2–09 | James McMahon Tom Foley |
Páirc Uí Chaoimh | |
| 2022 | Ballygiblin | 2–19 | Tracton | 1–12 | Fionn Herlihy | Páirc Uí Chaoimh | [10] |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Russell Rovers defeat St Catherine's to end five-year gap for Cork Premier JHC title". Irish Examiner. 3 November 2024.
- ^ Cormican, Eoghan (26 March 2019). "Here's a breakdown of the proposals to restructure the Cork county championships". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
- ^ "Cork clubs vote down radical restructuring proposals". RTÉ Sport. 2 April 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
- ^ "Cork County Championships – Review of Intermediate & Junior Competitions". Cork GAA website. 19 April 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
- ^ "Cork GAA clubs to vote on revamp of intermediate and junior hurling and football grades". Echo Live. 19 January 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
- ^ Tarrant, John (3 February 2022). "Clubs votes for new County Premier Junior grade". The Corkman. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
- ^ O'Connor, Colm (27 July 2020). "Cork GAA ink hurling sponsorship deal with Dairygold Co-Op Superstores". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- ^ Cormican, Eoghan (1 February 2022). "Cork clubs vote to create a fifth tier for county championships". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
- ^ Moynihan, Michael (16 October 2020). "'There are people everywhere completely dedicated to the club, but Jimmy O'Mahony topped all of them'". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
- ^ Barry, Stephen (15 October 2022). "Late goals seal brilliant Ballygibblin's second county on the trot". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 15 October 2022.