2020 Christy Ring Cup

Gaelic sport (hurling) competition

Dates

24 October 2020 – 22 November 2020

Teams

Champions

Kildare (3rd title)
Brian Byrne (captain)
David Herity (manager)

Runners-up

Down
Stephen Keith (captain)
Ronan Sheehan (manager)

Tournament statistics

Matches played

Goals scored

17 (2.43 per match)

Points scored

239 (34.14 per match)

Top scorer(s)

Cathal Dolan (2-25)

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The 2020 Christy Ring Cup was the 16th staging of the Christy Ring Cup hurling championship since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 2005. It is the third tier of hurling as of 2020.^[1]^[2]^[3]

London were scheduled to compete in the Christy Ring Cup but didn't due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Gaelic games. The championship was scheduled to begin in May 2020 but was delayed until 24 October 2020.^[4]

The rise in COVID-19 cases affected the tournament, with two first-round games conceded due to positive tests.^[5]

Kildare were the winners, defeating Down in the final following earlier wins against Wicklow and Roscommon.^[6] Both finalists were promoted to the Joe McDonagh Cup for 2021.

The competition featured the first ever inter-county hurling penalty shootout, with Down qualifying for the final by causing an upset through knocking Offaly out in the semi-final.^[7]^[8]

Team changes

To Championship

Relegated from the Joe McDonagh Cup

Offaly

Promoted from the Nicky Rackard Cup

Sligo

From Championship

Promoted to the Joe McDonagh Cup

Meath

Relegated to the Nicky Rackard Cup

Donegal

Format

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the normal structure of eight teams competing in two groups of four was abandoned. Seven teams competed in the 2020 Christy Ring Cup. London did not compete as the quarantine restrictions on travel meant that their participation was not feasible.

The 2020 championship had a "back-door" structure designed to ensure that each team had at least two games. Offaly and Sligo conceded their round one games due to rising cases of COVID-19 and Sligo only managed to play one game before being eliminated.

Six teams play each in the three Round 1 games. One team receives a bye to Round 2A.
The three Round 1 winners, plus the team that received a bye, play in Round 2A.
- The two Round 2A winners advance to the semi-finals.
- The losers of the game between a Round 1 winner and the bye-receiving team goes into Round 2B.
The three Round 1 losers and one of the Round 2A losers play in Round 2B.
- The Round 2B winners advance to the semi-finals.
The semi-finals are played between the two Round 2A winners and the two Round 2B winners.
The final is between the two semi-final winners.

Round 1

Winners advance to Round 2A. Losers advance to Round 2B.

Kildare

Offaly

24 October 2020 Round 1	Kildare	w/o – conc.	Offaly	O'Connor Park
		Report

Roscommon

Wicklow

25 October 2020 Round 1	Roscommon	3-14 – 2-19	Wicklow	Dr. Hyde Park
	C Dolan 2-6 (3f, 1 '65); E Flanagan 1-2 (1-2f), C Mulry, C Egan 0-2 each; E Coyle, J Coyne 0-1 each.	Report	C Moorehouse 2-9 (1 pen, 5f); M Boland 0-4; D Staunton 0-3 (1 sl); M Lee, E McCormack, E Byrne 0-1 each.

Derry

Sligo

25 October 2020 Round 1

Derry

w/o – conc.

Sligo

Celtic Park

Down received a bye in this round.

Round 2

Round 2A

The Round 1 winners and Down, who received a bye, competed in this round. Winners advance to Semi-Finals.

Down

Derry

31 October 2020 Round 2A	Down	1-13 – 0-13	Derry	McKenna Park
	O MacManus (0-7f); D Hughes (1-2), P Sheehan (0-2f), P Óg McCrickard (0-1 sideline), C Woods (0-1).	Report	C O'Doherty (0-6, 5f); M Craig (0-2); C Kelly (0-2), M McGuigan (0-1), J McGuigan (0-1).	Referee: C Mooney (Dublin)

Kildare

Wicklow

1 November 2020 Round 2A	Kildare	2-14 – 1-10	Wicklow	St Conleth's Park
	J Sheridan 2-3 (0-2f); B Byrne 0-4 (3f); J Burke 0-3; C Dowling 0-2; C Dowling 0-1; D Slattery 0-1.	Report	C Moorehouse 0-9 (5f); E McCormack 1-1.

Round 2B

The Round 1 loser and one 'lucky loser' from round 2A, Derry entered this round. Winners advance to Semi-Finals.

Derry

Offaly

7 November 2020 Round 2B	Derry	1-12 – 0-32	Offaly	Páirc Esler
	C O'Doherty (0-8f), R Mullan (1-0); F Bradley (0-2), C Kelly (0-1), J McGuigan (0-1).	Report	E Cahill (0-17, 1 '65'. 12f), L Langton (0-3), P Geraghty (0-2); C Gath (0-2), O Kelly (0-2), J Sampson (0-1), D Nally (0-1); B Conneely (0-1), B Duignan (0-1), T Geraghty (0-1), S Cleary (0-1).

Roscommon

Sligo

8 November 2020 Round 2B	Roscommon	0-20 – 0-17	Sligo	Waldron Park
	C Dolan 0-13(11f), J Coyne 0-2, C Mulry 0-2, S Curley 0-1(1f), O Kelly, E Costello 0-1 each.	Report	G O'Kelly-Lynch 0-12 (11f), C Hannify 0-2, T O'Kelly-Lynch 0-1, A Kilcullen 0-1, M Hannify 0-1 (1f).	Referee: Richie Fitzsimons

Semi-finals

The Round 2A winners play the Round 2B winners. The winners advance to the final and were both promoted to the 2021 Joe McDonagh Cup.

Down

Offaly

14 November 2020 Semi-Final	Down	1-23 – 2-20 (a.e.t.) (3–2 p)	Offaly	Newry
13:30 GMT	O McManus 0-7 (6f, 1 '65'), E Sands 1-2, D Sands 1-1, P Sheehan 0-4f, P Og McCrickard 0-3, B Trainor, C Woods (f), D Hughes 0-1 each	Report	E Cahill 0-10 (9f), S Kinsella 1-2, C Kiely 0-3, A Hynes and L Langton (1f) 0-2 each, D King, P Geraghty, A Treacy (f) and T Geraghty 0-1 each	Stadium: Páirc Esler Attendance: 0 Referee: Sean Stack
	Penalties
	Marc Fisher N Paul Sheehan N Conor Woods Y Caolan Taggart Y Stephen Keith Y		Y Eoghan Cahill Y Brian Duignan N Aidan Treacy N Stephen Corcoran N Cillian Kiely

Kildare

Roscommon

14 November 2020 Semi-Final	Kildare	3-24 – 1-08	Roscommon	Newbridge
13:30 GMT	J Sheridan 2-6 (1-0pen, 0-4 frees, 0-1 '65'), B Byrne 0-8 (4f, 65), J Burke 1-2, N Ó Muineacháin 0-2, P Divilly 0-2, R Boran 0-1, K Whelan 0-1, C Dowling 0-1, S Ryan 0-1	Report	C Dolan 0-6 (0-3 frees), J Lohan 1-0, C Mulry 0-1, N Kilroy 0-1, E Flanagan 0-1 (0-1 frees).	Stadium: St Conleth's Park Attendance: 0 Referee: Thomas Gleeson (Dublin)

Final

Down

Kildare

22 November 2020 Final	Down	0-22 – 3-16	Kildare	Dublin
16:00 GMT	O McManus 0-9, (0-7 frees), P McCrickard 0-4, (0-1 sideline), T Prenter 0-4, P Sheehan 0-2 (0-1 free) C Woods 0-1 (free), D Sands 0-1	Report	B Byrne 0-7 (0-6 frees), J Sheridan 1-4 (0-3 frees, 0-1 '65'), P Divilly 1-1, T Burke 1-0, J Burke 0-2, S Ryan 0-1	Stadium: Croke Park Attendance: 0 Referee: Chris Mooney (Dublin)

Down and Kildare are promoted to the 2021 Joe McDonagh Cup.

Bracket

Round 1

Round 2

Semi-Finals

Final

Down

Bye

Down

1-13

Derry

w/o

Derry

0-13

Sligo

scr.

Down

1-23 AET

Offaly

2-20

Derry

1-12

Offaly

0-32

Down

0-22

Kildare

w/o

Kildare

3-16

Offaly

scr.

Kildare

2-14

Roscommon

3-14

Wicklow

1-10

Wicklow

2-19

Kildare

3-24

Roscommon

1-08

Roscommon

0-20

Sligo

0-17

Statistics

Top scorers

Overall

Rank	Player	Club	Tally	Total	Matches	Average
1	Cathal Dolan	Roscommon	2-25	31	3	10.33
2	Eoghan Cahill	Offaly	0-27	27	2	13.50
3	Christy Moorehouse	Wicklow	2-18	24	2	12.00
4	Jack Sheridan	Kildare	4-09	21	2	10.50
5	Cormac O'Doherty	Derry	0-14	14	2	7.00
5	Oisín MacManus	Down	0-14	14	2	7.00
6	Gerard O'Kelly-Lynch	Sligo	0-12	12	1	12.00
6	Brian Byrne	Kildare	0-12	12	2	6.00

In a single game

Rank	Player	Club	Tally	Total	Opposition
1	Eoghan Cahill	Offaly	0-17	17	Derry
2	Christy Moorehouse	Wicklow	2-09	15	Roscommon
3	Cathal Dolan	Roscommon	0-13	13	Sligo
4	Cathal Dolan	Roscommon	2-06	12	Wicklow
	Jack Sheridan	Kildare	2-06	12	Roscommon
	Gerard O'Kelly-Lynch	Sligo	0-12	12	Roscommon
5	Eoghan Cahill	Offaly	0-10	10	Down
6	Jack Sheridan	Kildare	2-03	9	Wicklow
6	Christy Moorehouse	Wicklow	0-09	9	Kildare
7	Cormac O'Doherty	Derry	0-08	8	Offaly
7	Brian Byrne	Kildare	0-08	8	Offaly

References

^ "Derry handed tough draw in Christy Ring Cup". www.derrynow.com.
^ O'Toole, Fintan. "The 27 senior games in store this weekend as 2020 GAA championship set to take off". The42.
^ "Tricky first hurdle as Wicklow face Roscommon in Christy Ring Cup". independent.
^ "Draws made for 2020 Christy Ring and Nicky Rackard Cups". www.gaa.ie.
^ Dollery, Paul. "Covid-19 case forces Offaly hurlers to forfeit Christy Ring Cup opener". The42.
^ Team, The42. "Herity guides Kildare to Christy Ring Cup triumph over Down in Croke Park decider". The42.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^ "Great Scenes In Newry As Down Shock Offaly In Christy Ring Semi-Final". Balls.ie. 15 November 2020.
^ "Down hurlers pulled off shock of the year yesterday". Hogan Stand. 15 November 2020.