Kilkenny Premier Junior Hurling Championship

The Kilkenny Premier Junior Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the JJ Kavanagh & Sons Premier Junior Hurling Championship and abbreviated to the Kilkenny PJHC) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Kilkenny County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association and contested by the top-ranking junior clubs in the county of Kilkenny in Ireland. It is the third tier overall in the entire Kilkenny hurling championship system.

Introduced in 1905 as the Kilkenny Junior Hurling Championship for teams deemed not eligible for the senior grade or second-string senior teams, it eventually became a divisional competition with the North and South champions playing each other for the county title. At the time of its creation it was the second tier of Kilkenny hurling. The competition took on its current name in 2022, when the entire junior hurling championship system was reformed.

In its current format, the Kilkenny Premier Junior Championship is played across the autumn months. The participating teams are split into Section A and Section B and engage in a knockout competition that culminates with the final at UPMC Nowlan Park.

Mooncoin is the most successful team in the tournament's history, having won it seven times. St Lachtain's are the current champions after beating Windgap in the 2024 final.

History

The Kilkenny Junior Championship was established in 1905 in an effort to provide meaningful competition for the increased number of teams that had been created in Kilkenny. It remained the second tier of Kilkenny hurling until the creation of the Kilkenny Intermediate Championship in 1929. For over a century, the Kilkenny Junior Championship was played on a divisional basis. Individual junior championships were organised by the North Board and the South Board, with the two winners playing off for the county title. This format was replaced by a countywide championship in 2011. The competition was rebranded as the Kilkenny Premier Junior Hurling Championship in 2022.

Format

Section A

12 teams participate in Section A. It comprises junior-grade clubs represented by their first-team panels. A teams finishing position in the Kilkenny Premier Junior Hurling League determines at what stage they enter the championship. Three teams from this section qualify for the Combined Section.

Round 1: The eight teams ranked 3–6 in the two league groups contest this round. Four matches are played with two winning teams advancing to Round 2 and the other two winning teams receiving byes to the quarter-finals.

Round 2: The two teams ranked in second place in the two league groups and two round 1-winning teams contest this round. Two matches are played with the two winning teams advancing to the quarter-finals.

Quarter-finals: The league finalists, two winning teams from Round 1 and two winning teams from Round 2 contest this round. Three matches are played with the three winning teams progressing to the Combined Section.

Section B

10 teams participate in Section B. It comprises senior and intermediate-grade clubs represented by their second-team panels. One team from this section qualify for the Combined Section.

Preliminary round: Two teams drawn at random contest this round. Two matches are played with two winning teams advancing to the quarter-finals.

Quarter-finals: The two preliminary round winners and six other teams contest this round. Four matches are played with the four winning teams advancing to the semi-finals.

Semi-finals: The four quarter-final winners contest this round. Two matches are played with the two winning teams advancing to the final.

Final: The two semi-final winners contest the final. The winning team are declared section champions and progress to the Combined Section.

Combined section

Semi-finals: Four teams qualify for this section; the three Section A quarter-final winners and the Section B winners. Two matches are played with the two winning teams advancing to the final.

Final: The two semi-final winners contest the final. The winning team are declared champions.

2024 Teams

The 22 teams competing in the 2024 Kilkenny Premier Junior Hurling Championship are:

Qualification for subsequent competitions

The Kilkenny Premier Junior Championship winners quality for the subsequent Leinster Junior Club Hurling Championship. Kilkenny clubs have dominated the competition and have won a total of 17 titles from the competition's inception in 2000. Tullogher–Rosbercon were the most recent Kilkenny representatives to win the provincial title.

Trophy

The winning team is presented with the Bob Aylward Cup. Born in Mullinavat, County Kilkenny, Bob Aylward (1911–1974) was part of the Kilkenny senior hurling team that won the All-Ireland SHC title in 1939. He later served as chairman of the Kilkenny County Board and was a member of Seanad Éireann until his death.

Sponsorship

JJ Kavanagh & Sons have been the long-time sponsors of the Kilkenny Premier Junior Hurling Championship.

Roll of honour

List of finals

Legend

* – All-Ireland junior club champions
* – All-Ireland junior club runners-up

List of Kilkenny PJHC finals

Notes

* 1925: Danesfort awarded title after objection
* 1929: First game was unfinished due to heavy rain
* 1930: Replay ordered following an objection
* 1948: Replay ordered following an objection
* 1963: Reply ordered following an objection

References

External link

Kilkenny GAA Bible

{{Kilkenny GAA, state=expanded

Hurling competitions in County Kilkenny
Junior hurling county championships
Kilkenny GAA club championships
1905 establishments in Ireland
Recurring sporting events established in 1905