The All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship was a second tier Hurling championship competition held annually between 1974 and 2004 for the so-called 'weaker' hurling teams in Ireland and organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is contested by those county teams knocked out in the first round of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship and the winner is awarded the championship.
| Founded | 1974 |
|---|---|
| Country |  Ireland England |
| Level on pyramid | 2 |
| Promotion to | All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship |
| Most championships | London (5 titles) |
| Website | Official GAA site |
The series of games began every year immediately after the completion of the National Hurling League with the All-Ireland final being played in June or July, initially in Croke Park, Dublin but later in provincial venues around the country and in Britain. The championship was abolished in 2004 and these teams now play in the Joe McDonagh Cup which is the successor competition to the championship.
The title was won by 11 different teams, 6 of which won the title more than once. The all-time record-holders are London, who won the competition 5 times. The history of the championship was bookended by victories for Kildare, winners of the first title in 1974 and the last in 2004.
History
editCreation
editFollowing ongoing one-sided matches in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship between counties of differing standards, the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) began considering the addition of a tournament for so-called weaker senior counties who were usually eliminated in the early stages of their respective provincial championship. The GAA found broad support for the introduction of a second-tier championship and canvassed options for its potential structure and future inclusion within the annual calendar.[1] The championship was branded the Senior B championship and its inaugural season was 1974.
Second and third-tier competitions have already been incorporated in hurling for several years, such as the Intermediate and Junior championships.
Development
editThe championship remained knockout but the number of participating teams increased.
Team changes
edit12 county teams have participated in at least one edition of the championship.
Championship moments
edit- New York 4-16 - 0-13 Derry (1996): New York became the first American side to win the championship.
Format
editThe championship was open to all hurling teams who did not take part in the proper All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. It was a knock-out competition whereby once a team lost they were eliminated from the championship.
Teams
edit2004 Championship
editThe championship was suspended after the completion of the 2004 All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship. Three counties competed in 2004:
| County | Location | Stadium | Province | Position in 2003Championship | Championship Titles | Last Championship Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Kildare | Newbridge | St Conleth's Park | Leinster | — | 4 | 2004 |
 Mayo | Castlebar | MacHale Park | Connacht | — | 0 | — |
 Wicklow | Aughrim | Aughrim County Ground | Leinster | Champions | 1 | 2003 |
List of All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship counties
edit| Team | Total years | First year in championship | Most recent year in championship | Championship titles | Last championship title | Position in 2023 championship | Best Senior B finish | Current championship | Lvl |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Antrim | 1974 | ||||||||
 Carlow | 1974 | ||||||||
 Down | 1974 | ||||||||
 Hertfordshire | 1974 | ||||||||
| Kerry | 1974 | ||||||||
| Kildare | 1974 | ||||||||
 Laois | 1976 | ||||||||
 London | 1975 | ||||||||
| Meath | 1974 | ||||||||
| Roscommon | 1975 | ||||||||
 Westmeath | 1974 | ||||||||
| Wicklow | 1974 |
Team appearances (1974-1977)
edit| # | Team | No. | Years in championship |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antrim | 4 | 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977 |
| Carlow | 4 | 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977 | |
| 3 | Kerry | 3 | 1974, 1975, 1976 |
| Down | 3 | 1974, 1975, 1977 | |
| Meath | 3 | 1974, 1975, 1977 | |
| Wicklow | 3 | 1974, 1975, 1977 | |
| Roscommon | 3 | 1975, 1976, 1977 | |
| London | 3 | 1975, 1976, 1977 | |
| 9 | Westmeath | 2 | 1974, 1975 |
| Laois | 2 | 1976, 1977 | |
| 11 | Hertfordshire | 1 | 1974 |
| Kildare | 1 | 1974 |
Qualification for subsequent competitions
editQualification for the All-Ireland Championship
editThe Senior B winners qualify back into the subsequent All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship at the preliminary quarter-final stage. The Senior B champions plays a provincial winner at this stage.
All-Ireland record of Senior B teams
edit| Season | County | Round | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | New York | Quarter-finals | Galway | 4-22 - 0-08 |
| 2004 | No All-Ireland path for Senior B champions | |||
Roll of Honour
edit| County | Title(s) | Runners-Up | Years won | Years runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 5 | 16 | 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1995 | 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 |
| Kildare | 4 | 1 | 1974, 1980, 1989, 2004 | 1990 |
| Antrim | 3 | 1 | 1978, 1981, 1982 | 1974 |
| Kerry | 3 | 0 | 1976, 1983, 1986 | - |
| Westmeath | 3 | 0 | 1975, 1984, 1991 | - |
| Laois | 3 | 0 | 1977, 1979, 2002 | - |
| Wicklow | 1 | 2 | 2003 | 1995, 2002 |
| Carlow | 1 | 1 | 1992 | 1987 |
| Meath | 1 | 1 | 1993 | 1985 |
| Roscommon | 1 | 1 | 1994 | 2003 |
 New York | 1 | 0 | 1996 | - |
| Down | 0 | 1 | - | 1988 |
 Derry | 0 | 1 | - | 1996 |
| Mayo | 0 | 1 | - | 2004 |
| Province | Title(s) | Runners-Up | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
 Leinster | 13 | 5 | 18 |
.svg){kind=small} Britain | 5 | 16 | 21 |
 Ulster | 3 | 3 | 6 |
 Munster | 3 | 0 | 3 |
 Connacht | 1 | 2 | 3 |
 North America | 1 | 0 | 1 |
List of finals
edit| Year | Date | Winners | Runners-up | Venue | Winning margin | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | Score | County | Score | ||||
| 2005- | Counties compete in the Christy Ring Cup | ||||||
| 2004 | 24 July | Kildare | 3-14 | Mayo | 3-07 | Croke Park | 7 |
| 2003 | Wicklow | 4-16 | Roscommon | 2-13 | Croke Park | 9 | |
| 2002 | Laois | 2-20 | Wicklow | 2-07 | Semple Stadium | 13 | |
| 1997-2001 | No championship | ||||||
| 1996 | New York | 4-16 | Derry | 0-13 | 15 | ||
| 1995 | London | 2-07 | Wicklow | 0-08 | O'Moore Park | 5 | |
| 1994 | Roscommon | 1-10 | London | 1-09 | McGovern Park | 1 | |
| 1993 | Meath | 2-16 | London | 1-16 | 3 | ||
| 1992 | Carlow | 2-15 | London | 3-10 | 2 | ||
| 1991 | Westmeath | 2-12 | London | 2-06 | 6 | ||
| 1990 | London | 1-15 | Kildare | 5-02 | 1 | ||
| 1989 | Kildare | 2-06 | London | 1-07 | 2 | ||
| 1988 | London | 2-06 | Down | 1-07 | 2 | ||
| 1987 | London | 0-20 | Carlow | 1-15 | 2 | ||
| 1986 | Kerry | 3-10 | London | 1-09 | 7 | ||
| 1985 | London | 1-09 | Meath | 1-06 | 3 | ||
| 1984 | Westmeath | 4-10 | London | 1-16 | 3 | ||
| 1983 | Kerry | 2-08 | London | 1-07 | 4 | ||
| 1982 | Antrim | 2-16 | London | 2-14 | 2 | ||
| 1981 | Antrim | 3-17 | London | 3-14 | 3 | ||
| 1980 | Kildare | 2-20 | London | 2-14 | 6 | ||
| 1979 | Laois | 1-20 | London | 0-17 | 6 | ||
| 1978 | Antrim | 1-16 | London | 3-07 | 3 | ||
| 1977 | Laois | 3-21 | London | 2-09 | 15 | ||
| 1976 | Kerry | 0-15 | London | 1-10 | 2 | ||
| 1975 | 22 June | Westmeath | 3-23 | London | 2-07 | Croke Park | 19 |
| 1974 | 23 June | Kildare | 1-26 | Antrim | 3-13 | Croke Park | 7 |
Team records and statistics
editTeam results
editLegend
- 1st – Champions
- 2nd – Runners-up
- SF/QF/PR – Semi-finals/Quarter-finals/Preliminary round
For each year, the number of counties (in brackets) are shown.
| Team | 1974 (9) | 1975 (9) | 1976 (6) | 1977 (8) | 1978 (5) | 1979 (8) | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antrim | 2nd | SF | HF | HF | 1st | SF | 6 |
| Carlow | FR | QF | SF | FR | — | — | 4 |
| Down | FR | QF | — | SF | HF | — | 4 |
| Hertfordshire | SF | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| Kerry | FR | HF | 1st | — | — | SF | 4 |
| Kildare | 1st | — | — | — | — | HF | 2 |
| Laois | — | — | QF | 1st | — | 1st | 3 |
| London | — | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 5 |
| Meath | QF | SF | — | FR | SF | — | 4 |
| Roscommon | — | QF | SF | FR | SF | QF | 5 |
| Westmeath | SF | 1st | — | — | — | QF | 3 |
| Wicklow | FR | QF | — | SF | — | QF | 4 |
Teams
edit| County | Wins | Most recent win |
|---|---|---|
| Antrim | 3 | 1982 |
| Carlow | 1 | 1992 |
| Kerry | 3 | 1986 |
| Kildare | 4 | 2004 |
| Laois | 3 | 2002 |
| London | 5 | 1995 |
| Meath | 1 | 1993 |
| New York | 1 | 1996 |
| Roscommon | 1 | 1994 |
| Westmeath | 3 | 1991 |
| Wicklow | 1 | 2003 |
Performances by province
edit| Province | Title(s) | Runners-Up | Last Title (Year) | Biggest Contributor (Titles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leinster | 13 | 5 | Kildare (2004) | Kildare (4) |
| Britain | 5 | 16 | London (1995) | London (5) |
| Ulster | 3 | 3 | Antrim (1982) | Antrim (3) |
| Munster | 3 | 0 | Kerry (1986) | Kerry (3) |
| Connacht | 1 | 2 | Roscommon (1994) | Roscommon (1) |
| North America | 1 | 0 | New York (1996) | New York (1) |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Second Tier Championship format to be discussed in January". gaa.ie. 24 November 2018.