2018 Christy Ring Cup

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.

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 →

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

To Championship

Relegated from the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship

• None

Promoted from the Nicky Rackard Cup

• Armagh
• Derry

From Championship

Promoted to the Joe McDonagh Cup

• Antrim
• Carlow

Relegated to the Nicky Rackard Cup

• None

Format

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

General Information

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

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

Group stage

Group 1

Group 1 Table

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

Group 1 Rounds 1 to 3

Group 1 Round 1

Kildare v Roscommon

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)

Wicklow v Mayo

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

Mayo v Kildare

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)

Roscommon v Wicklow

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

Wicklow v Kildare

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)

Roscommon v Mayo

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

Group 2 Table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	SF	SA	Diff	Pts	Qualification
1	London	3	2	0	1	88	60	28	4	Advance to Knockout Stage
2	Derry	3	2	0	1	89	65	24	4
3	Down	3	2	0	1	92	69	23	4
4	Armagh	3	0	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

Group 2 Round 1

Derry v London

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)

Down v Armagh

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

Armagh v Derry

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)

London v Down

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

Derry v Down

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.

Armagh v London

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

Bracket

	Semi-Finals					Final
	London		2-28
	Wicklow		2-14
						London		1-11
						Kildare		3-19
	Kildare		3-18
	Derry		2-13

Semi-finals

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

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

9 June 2018

Semi-final

Dr. Cullen Park, Carlow

Referee: J O'Brien (Laois)

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

10 June 2018

Semi-final

Grattan Park, Inniskeen

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

23 June 2018

2:00 pm

Final

Croke Park, Dublin

Referee: Patrick Murphy (Carlow)

Relegation/promotion playoff

Antrim	3-23 - 1-17	Kildare
	Report

30 June 2018

Relegation/Promotion

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

See also: List of Gaelic Athletic Association stadiums

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

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

Top scorers

Overall

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
	Paul Sheehan	Down	0-23	23	3	7.66
4	Andy O'Brien	Wicklow	1-19	22	3	7.33
	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
	Kenny Feeney	Mayo	0-19	19	3	6.33
10	Colin Nelson	London	1-13	16	3	5.33

In a single game

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
	Martin Fitzgerald	Kildare	3-03	12	Roscommon
6	Jack Sheridan	Kildare	2-05	11	Wicklow
	Cormac O'Doherty	Derry	0-11	11	London
8	Aaron Sheehan	London	0-10	10	Derry
	Daniel Glynn	Roscommon	0-10	10	Wicklow

Miscellaneous

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

See also

• 2018 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
• 2018 Leinster Senior Hurling Championship
• 2018 Munster Senior Hurling Championship
• 2018 Joe McDonagh Cup
• 2018 Nicky Rackard Cup
• 2018 Lory Meagher Cup

References

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.