As we head into the decisive Round 5 group fixtures of our club hurling championships, there follows an explainer of this year’s championship format, what happens in the event of two or more teams being tied on points, and the possible permutations depending on the Round 5 results.
Championship Format
On foot of a proposal brought by the Hurling Advisory Committee to the County Committee last January, and approved by club delegates, all teams will progress to the knock-out stages of this year’s championships no matter where they finish in their group.
Teams that finish 1st and 2nd in their group will progress directly to the quarter-finals. Teams that finish 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th will play a preliminary quarter-final.
The preliminary quarter-finals will be 3rd in Group A v 4th in Group B; 4th in Group A v 3rd in Group B; 5th in Group A v 6th in Group B; and 6th in Group A v 5th in Group B.
The losers of the two 5th v 6th place matches will contest the Relegation Final.
The theory behind 3rd and 4th playing each other is that these teams are already safe from the threat of relegation. If they were to instead to play the teams in 5th and 6th, they would run the risk of entering the relegation battle anyway.
In the quarter-finals, teams that finish top of their group will play the winners of one of the 5th v 6th matches. Teams that finish second will play the winners of one of the 3rd v 4th matches.
Two-way ties
In the event of a two-way tie in the final group standings, the deciding factor will be the head-to-head result between the two teams involved, as has been the case for many years now.
If the match between the sides was a draw, then overall scoring difference will be used to decide which of them finishes higher.
Three-way ties
In the event of a three-way (or more) tie, a rule which was first introduced for the 2023 championships will again be used.
This states that if three or more teams are level on the same number of points, the number of league points earned from the games between the teams involved will be the first deciding factor.
If the tie cannot be resolved on this basis, the next deciding factor will be the scoring difference from all games played in the group stage, not just the games between the teams involved. If even this does not decide the issue, it will go the total overall score of each team.
It is important to note that in the event of a tie involving three or more teams, the tables which are automatically generated on our website may not accurately reflect the true position. If any such cases arise, then as soon as possible after the relevant matches conclude, Wexford GAA will instead separately publish official tables which take the current regulations into account.
Pettitt’s Senior Hurling Championship
Group A fixtures: Naomh Éanna v Crossabeg/Ballymurn, Glynn-Barntown v St. Anne’s Rathangan, Oulart-The Ballagh v Ferns St. Aidans
Group B fixtures: Cloughbawn v Faythe Harriers, Rapparees v St. Martin’s, Oylegate-Glenbrien v Shelmalier
In Group A of the Pettit’s Senior Hurling Championship, St. Anne’s Rathangan and reigning champions Naomh Éanna seem set to claim the coveted top two spots. They can do so by securing victories next weekend against Glynn-Barntown and Crossabeg/Ballymurn, respectively.
However, Ferns St. Aidans could steal second spot if they beat Oulart-The Ballagh, and Naomh Éanna fail to secure a victory. A loss for Naomh Éanna would see them stuck on six points, while Ferns would jump to seven. A draw for Naomh Éanna and a win for Ferns would leave the Ferns and Gorey sides level on seven points, and with the match between them having also been a draw, the Ferns score difference would improve with a win on Sunday while the Gorey one would remain static.
In the event of St. Anne’s Rathangan losing, Naomh Éanna drawing, and Ferns St. Aidans winning, there would be a three-way tie for the top two spots. The ‘mini league’ between the sides would see St. Anne’s top with three points (one win, one draw); Naomh Éanna in second place with two points (two draws); and Ferns St. Aidans in third (one draw, one defeat).
At the other end of the table, Oulart-The Ballagh and Crossabeg/Ballymurn will fill the bottom two spots, no matter what happens.
In Group B, the only thing known for sure is that Rapparees will finish last.
Shelmalier and St. Martin’s currently occupy the top two spots (with Shels ahead due to the head-to-head result). They can secure safe passage to the quarter-finals if they win or draw at the weekend, against Oylegate-Glenbrien and Rapparees, respectively.
However, there are some combinations of results that could bring a three-way tie in the final table, and so there is also a possibility of the ‘mini league’ rule coming into play here.
The Courtyard Ferns Intermediate Hurling Championship
Group A fixtures: Rathnure St. Anne’s v HWH Bunclody, Tara Rocks v St. Mogue’s Fethard, Askamore v Horeswood
Group B fixtures: Fr O’Regan’s Craanford v Gusserane O’Rahilly’s, St. Brigid’s Blackwater v Taghmon-Camross, St. Jame’s v Buffers Alley
In Group A of The Courtyard Ferns Intermediate Hurling Championship, Rathnure St. Anne’s and HWH Bunclody will take the top two spots, with the winner of the weekend match between the sides claiming top position. If it is a draw, Rathnure will finish top by virtue of a better score difference.
However, outside of that, there’s another very real chance of a three-way tie. For instance, if Horeswood beat Askamore, and St. Mogue’s Fethard beat Tara Rocks, then Horeswood, Askamore and Fethard will be level on four points for 3rd, 4th and 5th.
Similarly, if Horeswood lose to Askamore, and Tara Rocks beat St. Mogue’s Fethard, then Horeswood, Tara Rocks and Fethard will be level on two points for 4th, 5th and 6th.
It means that even despite losing all four matches so far, Tara Rocks could still climb to fourth place depending on results on Friday night, and thus be safe from relegation.
In Group B, Buffers Alley and St. James’ meet on Saturday evening to decide top spot. If it is a draw, Buffers Alley will finish top on foot of a better score difference.
Any loser of that match will still take second place, despite the possibility of being joined on six points by either or both Fr. O’Regan’s Craanford and St. Brigid’s Blackwater. Either Buffers Alley or St. James’ would fare best in any two-way or three-way tie involving those teams.
Intriguingly, there is the possibility of a four-way tie to decide 3rd down to 6th, if Gusserane O’Rahilly’s beat Craanford and Taghmon-Camross beat Blackwater.
Joyce’s Expert Wexford Intermediate ‘A’ Hurling Championship
Group A fixtures: Geraldine O’Hanrahan’s v Liam Mellows, Davidstown-Courtnacuddy v St. Martin’s, St. Abban’s Adamstown v Ballygarrett
Group B fixtures: Shelmalier v Oulart-The Ballagh, Rathgarogue-Cushinstown v St. Mary’s Rosslare, Clongeen v Monageer-Boolavogue
In Group A of the Joyce’s Expert Wexford Intermediate ‘A’ Hurling Championship, Geraldine O’Hanrahan’s will take top spot, no matter what the outcome of Saturday’s tie with Liam Mellows.
The tie between Davidstown-Courtnacuddy and St. Martin’s will determine who takes second place. While Liam Mellows could finish level with either of them on six points, both those teams have the head-to-head result over the north county side.
At the other end, Ballygarrett will finish bottom, but St. Abban’s Adamstown have the chance of climbing to third or fourth and thus avoiding the relegation threat if they win their match against the seasiders on Saturday.
In Group B, Monageer-Boolavogue are already assured of top spot. Even if they lose on Saturday and Rathgarogue-Cushinstown win and join them on eight points, Monageer-Boolavogue have the head-to-head result between the sides.
Similarly, Rathgarogue-Cushinstown are already assured of second place. Even defeat for them against St. Mary’s Rosslare and a win for Shelmalier over Oulart-The Ballagh would see them finish ahead of Shelmalier on six points, as they have the head-to-head result.
However, it’s all to play for at the other end. Again, there’s even a possibility of a four-way tie, if Rosslare, Clongeen and Oulart-The Ballagh all win their matches against what are currently the top three teams.
Kavanagh Meats The Traditional Meat Company Junior Hurling Championship
Group A fixtures: Naomh Éanna v Duffry Rovers, Faythe Harriers v Shamrocks, Ferns St. Aidans v St. Fintan’s
Group B fixtures: Rathnure St. Anne’s v Marshalstown-Castledockrell, Kilmore v Rapparees, St. Patrick’s v Glynn-Barntown
The only thing yet decided in Group A of the Kavanagh Meats The Traditional Meat Company Junior Hurling Championship is that Shamrocks and Faythe Harriers will fill the bottom two spots. At the other end, everything is up for grabs.
While Duffy Rovers currently sit atop the table, they could drop to third place if they lose to Naomh Éanna, and Ferns St. Aidans beat St. Fintan’s.
Alternatively, there’s a chance of a three-way tie for 2nd, 3rd and 4th, if the Duffry beat the Gorey side, and St. Fintan’s beat Ferns. This is another group where there’ll be close eyes on all results!
In Group B, St. Patrick’s are guaranteed one of the top two spots, but they could be overtaken for first position if they lose their match to Glynn-Barntown.
However, should Glynn-Barntown lose that one, they’ll be keeping a close eye on the result of Marshalstown-Castledockrell v Rathnure St. Anne’s, since they’d be joined on six points by the winners there.
If Marshalstown-Castledockrell won that one, they’d take second place, as they have the head-to-head result over Glynn-Barntown. Conversely, if Rathnure won it, Glynn-Barntown would take second place as they’ve already beaten Rathnure.
At the other end, Rapparees will finish in one of the bottom two positions, but Kilmore have the chance to avoid the threat of relegation if they can win and Marshalstown-Castledockrell lose. This is because that would see those two sides finishing on four points, with Kilmore having the head-to-head result.
It all means that Marshalstown-Castledockrell could yet finish anywhere from 2nd down to 5th.
Kavanagh Meats The Traditional Meat Company Junior ‘A’ Hurling Championship
Group A fixtures: Ballyhogue v Oulart-The Ballagh, St. Brigid’s Blackwater v Monageer-Boolavogue, Cloughbawn v Oylegate-Glenbrien
Group B fixtures: Tara Rocks v Buffers Alley, Bannow-Ballymitty v St. Anne’s Rathangan, Fr. O’Regan’s Craanford v Our Lady’s Island
In Group A of the Kavanagh Meats The Traditional Meat Company Junior ‘A’ Hurling Championship, Ballyhogue will take top spot. Second place is up for grabs between Cloughbawn, Monageer-Boolavogue, and St. Brigid’s Blackwater.
Oulart-The Ballagh and Oylegate-Glenbrien currently occupy 5th and 6th, but both have the opportunity to climb the table and avoid the threat of relegation if they can win at the weekend and other results go their way.
In Group B, nothing is clearcut yet, apart from how Fr. O’Regan’s Craanford will finish bottom. There are four sides currently in contention for the top two spots, while Our Lady’s Island could climb the table and avoid the relegation threat if they beat Craanford and Tara Rocks lose to Buffers Alley.
Overall, there’s much to play for this weekend, and the one sure thing is that people will be keeping a close eye on scores from all around the county!
