Ranking Cork's top 60 hurling clubs: Lisgoold and Castlemartyr among high-risers

Five years ago this week, Cork GAA published its club-by-club rankings which formed the basis of the county championship restructure.

The system rated clubs’ performances over the previous four seasons and divvied them up across the grades we know today: Premier Senior, Senior A, etc. So who has rocketed up through the rankings since then? And who has fallen back down the list?

Today, we examine the hurling top 60 and will return to football in the coming days.

Our 2024 rankings, which serve as the comparison tool, are based on this year’s championship.

Group-stage performance is used as the tiebreaker between losing semi-finalists, quarter-finalists, third-, and fourth-placed teams, just as it determines seeding for the knockout stages.

Leaving aside divisional teams, Sarsfields have established themselves as the best club side in Cork.

Their number-one ranking is up four places from their 2020 seeding but there are 10 clubs who have seen a double-digit rise in that time.

The biggest jump belongs to Lisgoold, who weren’t in the top 60 five years ago, but have gone on to claim Junior A, Lower Intermediate, and Intermediate A honours.

The latter title places them as Cork’s 37th-ranked club this year.

Lisgoold's Cathal Hickey leaps into the air to celebrate his goal against Erin's Own. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

The Intermediate A runners-up, Erin’s Own’s second team, have achieved a similar meteoric trajectory from outside the cut to reach 38th, as have Ballygiblin (40th).

Of those who began in the top 60, the greatest increase goes to Castlemartyr.

Five years ago, their performances placed them in the fifth tier as the 51st-ranked team in the county.

They went on to show that was an underestimation of their talents with back-to-back county titles at Lower Intermediate and Intermediate A grades before a last-minute goal in the 2022 Premier Intermediate final replay denied them a triple promotion.

Despite failing to escape their group for the first time since the new system was introduced, they end 2024 as the 31st-ranked team in the county; a jump of 20 places.

LOOKING UP

Another upwardly mobile club are Senior A runners-up Blarney. Now the top team in the Muskerry division, they were rated in 30th place back in 2019.

Like Castlemartyr, they immediately turned around to win the 2020 Premier Intermediate title and have grown into consistent contenders in the second tier. They end the 2024 season in the same position they did in 2023; 14th overall, up 16 places.

The biggest jumps into Cork’s top-six hurling clubs have been achieved by Kanturk and Fr O’Neills.

Kanturk finished this year as the fourth-seeded team in the county behind runners-up Sars and semi-finalists Blackrock and Midleton.

Kanturk's Lorcan O'Neill wins possession as Blackrock's Alan O'Callaghan closes in. Picture: David Keane.

Five years ago, they were 19th in the pecking order, placing them in the Senior A grade. They beat Fr O’Neills to capture that title in 2021 and have consolidated their position for an increase of 15 places.

That jump is matched by 2023 Premier Intermediate champions Castlelyons (up from 31st to 16th) and 2022 Intermediate A winners Dungourney (up from 44th to 29th).

O’Neills ended this campaign as the sixth-seeded team based on their group-stage showing; an increase of 14 places from 20th.

The other big risers are Russell Rovers. The Premier Junior champions take 48th place on account of that success. Five years ago, their Junior A title earned them the 60th and final spot in the county-wide championships.

While there are risers, there are also clubs that have fallen down the grades.

Bandon have taken the biggest tumble. Five years ago, they were considered the 13th-best team in Cork, barely missing out on Premier Senior hurling.

Back-to-back relegations sent them down to Intermediate A and a current ranking of 46th, down 33 places.

Other fallers are Ballymartle (down 19 places from 14th to 33rd), Douglas’s second team (down 14 places from 46th to 60th), and Aghada (down 14 places from 33rd to 47th).

SWITCH

Newcestown (up five from 15th to 10th) have overtaken Bandon as the highest-ranked club from the Carbery division and Courcey Rovers (up five from 26th to 21st) have bypassed Ballymartle as the top side in Carrigdhoun.

Courcey Rovers talisman Sean Twomey. Picture: Denis Boyle

The number-one ranked team in that 2019 list was Glen Rovers. They are technically down 12 places since then but their victory in the Senior A championship this year ensures they will be back among the top teams in 2025.

Behind them in the list were Midleton and Blackrock, who have traded second and third places, and Erin’s Own, who ranked eighth best in 2024.

Incidentally, only one club holds the exact same position in 2024 as they did five years ago. They won’t be able to match it in 2025, unfortunately. Cloyne entered the new structure as the 24th-ranked team but that position this year signalled their relegation to the Premier Intermediate grade.

CORK CLUB HURLING RANKINGS

Sarsfields 1 (5 at start of 2020).

Blackrock 2 (3).

Midleton 3 (2).

Kanturk 4 (19).

Newtownshandrum 5 (10).

Fr O'Neills 6 (20).

St Finbarr's 7 (6).

Erin's Own 8 (4).

Douglas 9 (7).

Newcestown 10 (15).

Charleville 11 (18).

Bishopstown 12 (9).

SAHC

Glen Rovers 13 (1).

Blarney 14 (30).

Bride Rovers 15 (16).

Castlelyons 16 (31).

Na Piarsaigh 17 (8).

Killeagh 18 (17).

Fermoy 19 (23).

Ballyhea 20 (12).

Courcey Rovers 21 (26).

Inniscarra 22 (25).

Carrigtwohill 23 (11).

Cloyne 24 (24).

PIHC

Watergrasshill 25 (32).

Carrigaline 26 (29).

Ballincollig 27 (34).

Mallow 28 (21).

Dungourney 29 (44).

Ballinhassig 30 (28).

Castlemartyr 31 (51).

Éire Óg 32 (37).

Ballymartle 33 (14).

Valley Rovers 34 (27).

Kilworth* 35 (22).

Aghabullogue* 36 (42).

IAHC

Lisgoold 37.

Erin's Own 2 38.

Midleton 2 39 (47).

Ballygiblin 40.

Blackrock 2 41 (36).

Mayfield 42 (41).

Sarsfields 2 43 (40).

Kildorrery 44 (38).

Youghal 45 (35).

Bandon 46 (13).

Aghada 47 (33).

Cloughduv 48 (39).

PJHC

Russell Rovers 49 (60).

St Catherine's 50 (54).

Ballygarvan 51 (57).

Nemo Rangers 52.

Glen Rovers 2 53 (43).

Milford 54 (58).

Kilbrittain 55 (49).

St Finbarr's 2 56 (52).

Meelin 57 (45).

Barryroe 58 (53).

Argideen Rangers 59 (48).

Douglas 2 60 (46).

Relegated to Junior A in last four seasons: Tracton, Grenagh, Ballymartle 2, Dripsey.

*Relegation play-off to be played

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