Nicky Rackard Cup 2005
Encyclopedia
The Nicky Rackard Cup 2005 began on Saturday, June 18, 2005. 2005 was the first time the Nicky Rackard Cup
was introduced into the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
. It was devised by the Hurling
Development Committee to encourage some of the so-called "weaker" hurling counties
and to give them the chance of playing more games. It is in effect a "Division 3" for hurling teams in Ireland. The final was played on Sunday, August 21 when London
beat Louth
at Croke Park
, Dublin.
The 2005 Nicky Rackard Cup final was used as a curtain raiser for the semi-final of the 2005 Liam McCarthy Cup
. London ranout winners on the day by a margin of 15 points. London Manager Mick O'Dea described it as 'the best day' of his life as his captain Meath
native Fergus McMahon lifted the inaugural Nicky Rackard Cup after a 5-08 to 1-05 victory.
The Exiles, who staved off relegation from Division Two in 2005, powered out to their 15-point victory after teenager Ger Smith's 53rd-minute goal had reduced the deficit for Louth back to three points.
Two goals in the space of a minute from Barry Shortall and Kevin McMullan set London up for a 2-04 to 0-05 half-time lead. Although the Leinster
men had dominated possession, their inability to take scores, which was surprising given the 12-61 tally accumulated from their previous four games, blighted their play.
London were similarly guilty, hitting eleven wides in the opening half to Louth's six. London's goals proved crucial. Shortall swept home a brilliantly delivered sideline cut from Brian Foley on 14 minutes, while seconds later, Antrim man McMullan pounced on a mistake by Louth defender Aidan Carter to bulge the net.
Ten scoreless minutes into the second half, Gary Fenton re-opened the scoring for a 2-05 to 0-05 London lead. Louth's Declan Byrne then pulled a goal chance into the side-netting, but the Reds deservedly found a way past Exiles 'keeper JJ Burke when teenager Smith scrambled home their only goal, and also what proved to be Louth's only score of the second half.
In slippery conditions, Division Three side Louth were always up against it and London cut loose in the closing quarter.
On 57 minutes, substitute Sean Quinn drove through and flicked a superb handpass for McMullan to fire home his second goal of a 2-01 haul. Four minutes later, Quinn kicked in London's fourth goal and the result was put beyond doubt when corner forward Dave Burke scored a fifth on 67 minutes. Burke clipped over a 65 and Gary Fenton added another point before the final whistle.
London: JJ Burke; E Phelan, T Simms, B Forde; J Dillon, F McMahon, B Foley 0-1; M Harding 0-01 (1f), M O'Meara; D Smyth, J Ryan, J McGaughan; D Bourke 1-04 (3f), B Shortall 1-00, K McMullan 2-01.
Subs: E Kinlon (for Smyth 36 mins), G Fenton 0-01 (for O'Meara 36 mins), S Quinn 1-00 (for Shortall 55 mins), P Doyle (for Phelan 68 mins), P Finneran (for McMullan 70 mins).
Louth: S Smith; D Black, A Carter, S Darcy; R Byrne, P Dunne, D Mulholland; D McCarthy, S Callan 0-02; T Hilliard, J Carter, D Byrne; G Smith 1-01 (1f), D Dunne 0-01, N McEneaney 0-01.
Subs: G Collins (for R Byrne h/t), S Byrne (for J Carter 53 mins), A Mynes (for McEneaney 65 mins), N Byrne (for Darcy 71 mins).
Referee: T Mahon (Fermanagh).
Nicky Rackard Cup
The Nicky Rackard Cup is a competition for the Tier 3 hurling teams of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. The tournament is organised by the [Gaelic Athletic Association]] and is played during the summer months with the final being played in Croke Park, Dublin...
was introduced into the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the top hurling teams in Ireland....
. It was devised by the Hurling
Hurling
Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...
Development Committee to encourage some of the so-called "weaker" hurling counties
Counties of Ireland
The counties of Ireland are sub-national divisions used for the purposes of geographic demarcation and local government. Closely related to the county is the County corporate which covered towns or cities which were deemed to be important enough to be independent from their counties. A county...
and to give them the chance of playing more games. It is in effect a "Division 3" for hurling teams in Ireland. The final was played on Sunday, August 21 when London
London GAA
The London County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or London GAA is one of the county boards outside Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in London...
beat Louth
Louth GAA
The Louth County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Louth GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Louth. The county board is also responsible for the Louth inter-county teams....
at Croke Park
Croke Park
Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...
, Dublin.
Format
Twelve teams participated in the "Nicky Rackard Cup 2005". The teams were divided into three groups of four based on geographical criteria. These groups were:- Group 3A: SligoSligo GAAThe Sligo County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Sligo GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Sligo...
, TyroneTyrone GAAThe Tyrone County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Tyrone GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Tyrone. The county board is also responsible for the Tyrone inter-county teams....
, DonegalDonegal GAAThe Donegal County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Donegal GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Donegal. The county board is also responsible for the Donegal inter-county teams.Gaelic football is strongest in the...
and FermanaghFermanagh GAAThe Fermanagh County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Fermanagh GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland. The county board is also responsible for the Fermanagh inter-county teams-History:... - Group 3B: LouthLouth GAAThe Louth County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Louth GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Louth. The county board is also responsible for the Louth inter-county teams....
, CavanCavan GAAThe Cavan County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Cavan GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Cavan...
, ArmaghArmagh GAAThe Armagh County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Armagh GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Armagh...
and LeitrimLeitrim GAAThe Leitrim County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Leitrim GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Leitrim. The county board is also responsible for the Leitrim inter-county teams.-Gaelic football:In the 1924 Connacht... - Group 3C: LondonLondon GAAThe London County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or London GAA is one of the county boards outside Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in London...
, WarwickshireWarwickshire GAAThe Warwickshire County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the county boards outside Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in Warwickshire. The county board is also responsible for the Warwickshire inter-county teams-Hurling:In 2005 Warwickshire fielded a hurling team in...
, LongfordLongford GAAThe Longford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Longford GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Longford...
and MonaghanMonaghan GAAThe Monaghan County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Monaghan GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Monaghan and the Monaghan inter-county football and hurling teams. Separate county boards are responsible for the...
Group 3A Results
| Game | Date | Venue | Winner | Score | Runner-Up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | June 18 | Carrickmore Carrickmore Carrickmore is a village and townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It lies in the heart of the county on an raised site colloquially called "The Rock"; between Cookstown, Dungannon and Omagh. It had a population of 612 in the 2001 Census.-History:... |
Tyrone | 3-17 | Fermanagh | 3-7 |
| Round 1 | June 18 | Markievicz Park Markievicz Park Markievicz Park is the principal Gaelic Athletic Association stadium in County Sligo, Ireland, home to the Sligo football and hurling teams. Built in 1955 due mostly to Sean Forde who single-handedly gathered the funds necessary to build the stadium, it is named after Sligo-born Constance... |
Sligo | 3-6 | Donegal | 5-13 |
| Round 2 | June 25 | Donegal | 3-12 | Tyrone | 1-11 | |
| Round 2 | June 25 | Brewster Park Brewster Park (Enniskillen) Brewster Park is a new Gaelic Athletic Association stadium in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is the home ground of Enniskillen Gaels and the County ground of Fermanagh GAA. The ground has recently reopened after having been closed for redevelopments... |
Fermanagh | 1-15 | Sligo | 3-10 |
| Round 3 | July 9 | Carrickmore Carrickmore Carrickmore is a village and townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It lies in the heart of the county on an raised site colloquially called "The Rock"; between Cookstown, Dungannon and Omagh. It had a population of 612 in the 2001 Census.-History:... |
Tyrone | 4-16 | Sligo | 4-11 |
| Round 3 | July 9 | O' Donnell Park | Donegal | 6-18 | Fermanagh | 1-8 |
| Table | P | W | D | L | F | A | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donegal | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14-43 | 5-25 | 45 | 6 |
| Tyrone | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8-44 | 10-30 | 8 | 4 |
| Sligo | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 10-27 | 10-44 | -17 | 2 |
| Fermanagh | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5-30 | 14-45 | -42 | 0 |
Group 3B Results
| Game | Date | Venue | Winner | Score | Runner-Up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | June 18 | Crossmaglen Crossmaglen Crossmaglen or Crosmaglen is a village and townland in south County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 1,459 people in the 2001 Census and is the largest village in south Armagh... |
Armagh | 1-16 | Cavan | 1-9 |
| Round 1 | June 18 | Drogheda Drogheda Drogheda is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, 56 km north of Dublin. It is the last bridging point on the River Boyne before it enters the Irish Sea.... |
Louth | 3-19 | Leitrim | 0-15 |
| Round 2 | June 25 | St. Tiernach's Park St. Tiernach's Park St. Tiernach's Park is a Gaelic Athletic Association stadium in Clones, Ireland.It is the home of the Monaghan Gaelic football team. The Ulster Final was hosted here from 1970 until 2004: prior to this, Casement Park was the venue. From 2004 to 2006, the Ulster Final had been played in Croke Park,... |
Cavan | 2-4 | Louth | 4-21 |
| Round 2 | June 25 | Leitrim | 3-6 | Armagh | 9-17 | |
| Round 3 | July 9 | Keady Keady Keady is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is situated south of Armagh city and very close to the border with the Republic of Ireland. The town had a population of 2,960 people in the 2001 Census.... |
Armagh | 2-9 | Louth | 2-11 |
| Round 3 | July 9 | Leitrim | OFF | Cavan | OFF |
| Table | P | W | D | L | F | A | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louth | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9-51 | 4-28 | 38 | 6 |
| Armagh | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 12-42 | 6-26 | 34 | 4 |
| Cavan | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3-13 | 5-37 | -30 | 0 |
| Leitrim | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3-21 | 12-36 | -42 | 0 |
Group 3C Results
| Game | Date | Venue | Winner | Score | Runner-Up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | June 18 | Michael Fay Park | Longford | 2-12 | London | 0-21 |
| Round 1 | June 18 | Gavin Duffy Park | Monaghan | 0-17 | Warwickshire | 1-11 |
| Round 2 | June 25 | Emerald GAA Grounds Emerald GAA Grounds The Emerald G.A.A Grounds , otherwise known as Ruislip GAA are the current headquarters, and principal gaelic games facility, of the Gaelic County Board of London. The grounds is the current venue for the finals of the Toureen Mangan Junior Football Championship, the Intermediate Football... |
London | 1-20 | Monaghan | 2-11 |
| Round 2 | June 25 | Páirc na hÉireann | Warwickshire | 2-7 | Longford | 1-15 |
| Round 3 | July 9 | Michael Fay Park | Longford | 3-11 | Monaghan | 2-8 |
| Round 3 | July 9 | Emerald GAA Grounds Emerald GAA Grounds The Emerald G.A.A Grounds , otherwise known as Ruislip GAA are the current headquarters, and principal gaelic games facility, of the Gaelic County Board of London. The grounds is the current venue for the finals of the Toureen Mangan Junior Football Championship, the Intermediate Football... |
London | 1-23 | Warwickshire | 1-6 |
| Table | P | W | D | L | F | A | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2-64 | 5-29 | 26 | 6 |
| Longford | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6-38 | 4-36 | 8 | 4 |
| Monaghan | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4-36 | 5-42 | -9 | 2 |
| Warwickshire | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4-24 | 2-55 | -25 | 0 |
Knock Out Stage
The runners-up in groups 3B and 3C played each other with the winner playing the runner up in group 3A. The winner of that match joined the three group winners in the semi-finals.| Game | Date | Venue | Winner | Score | Runner-Up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicky Rackard Cup Quarter-Final Play off |
July 16 | Breffni Park Breffni Park Breffni Park—known for sponsorship reasons as the Kingspan Breffni Park— is a Gaelic Athletic Association stadium in Cavan, Ireland. It is the home of the Cavan Gaelic football team. The ground has an overall capacity of about 32,000 with a 6,000 seated capacity. Breffni is the historic... , Cavan Cavan Cavan is the county town of County Cavan in the Republic of Ireland. The town lies in the north central part of Ireland, near the border with Northern Ireland... |
Longford | 2-14 | Armagh | 1-14 (AET) |
| Nicky Rackard Cup Quarter-Final |
July 24 | Breffni Park Breffni Park Breffni Park—known for sponsorship reasons as the Kingspan Breffni Park— is a Gaelic Athletic Association stadium in Cavan, Ireland. It is the home of the Cavan Gaelic football team. The ground has an overall capacity of about 32,000 with a 6,000 seated capacity. Breffni is the historic... , Cavan Cavan Cavan is the county town of County Cavan in the Republic of Ireland. The town lies in the north central part of Ireland, near the border with Northern Ireland... |
Tyrone | 3-14 | Longford | 3-13 |
| Nicky Rackard Cup Semi-Final |
August 6 | Drogheda Park Drogheda Park Drogheda Park is a Gaelic Athletic Association stadium in Drogheda, County Louth, Ireland. It is the home of the Louth Gaelic football team. The ground has a capacity of about 7,000.... , Drogheda Drogheda Drogheda is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, 56 km north of Dublin. It is the last bridging point on the River Boyne before it enters the Irish Sea.... |
Louth | 3-10 | Tyrone | 1-8 |
| Nicky Rackard Cup Semi-Final |
August 7 | O' Donnell Park, Letterkenny Letterkenny Letterkenny , with a population of 17,568, is the largest town in County Donegal, part of the Province of Ulster in Ireland. The town is located on the River Swilly... |
London | 3-13 | Donegal | 1-10 |
The Final
| Game | Date | Venue | Winner | Score | Runner-Up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicky Rackard Cup Final |
August 21 | Croke Park Croke Park Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation... , Dublin |
London | 5-8 | Louth | 1-5 |
The 2005 Nicky Rackard Cup final was used as a curtain raiser for the semi-final of the 2005 Liam McCarthy Cup
Liam McCarthy Cup
The MacCarthy Perpetual Challenge Cup is a trophy awarded annually by the Gaelic Athletic Association to the hurling team that wins the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship.-The trophy:...
. London ranout winners on the day by a margin of 15 points. London Manager Mick O'Dea described it as 'the best day' of his life as his captain Meath
County Meath
County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county...
native Fergus McMahon lifted the inaugural Nicky Rackard Cup after a 5-08 to 1-05 victory.
The Exiles, who staved off relegation from Division Two in 2005, powered out to their 15-point victory after teenager Ger Smith's 53rd-minute goal had reduced the deficit for Louth back to three points.
Two goals in the space of a minute from Barry Shortall and Kevin McMullan set London up for a 2-04 to 0-05 half-time lead. Although the Leinster
Leinster
Leinster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the east of Ireland. It comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Mide, Osraige and Leinster. Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the historic fifths of Leinster and Mide gradually merged, mainly due to the impact of the Pale, which straddled...
men had dominated possession, their inability to take scores, which was surprising given the 12-61 tally accumulated from their previous four games, blighted their play.
London were similarly guilty, hitting eleven wides in the opening half to Louth's six. London's goals proved crucial. Shortall swept home a brilliantly delivered sideline cut from Brian Foley on 14 minutes, while seconds later, Antrim man McMullan pounced on a mistake by Louth defender Aidan Carter to bulge the net.
Ten scoreless minutes into the second half, Gary Fenton re-opened the scoring for a 2-05 to 0-05 London lead. Louth's Declan Byrne then pulled a goal chance into the side-netting, but the Reds deservedly found a way past Exiles 'keeper JJ Burke when teenager Smith scrambled home their only goal, and also what proved to be Louth's only score of the second half.
In slippery conditions, Division Three side Louth were always up against it and London cut loose in the closing quarter.
On 57 minutes, substitute Sean Quinn drove through and flicked a superb handpass for McMullan to fire home his second goal of a 2-01 haul. Four minutes later, Quinn kicked in London's fourth goal and the result was put beyond doubt when corner forward Dave Burke scored a fifth on 67 minutes. Burke clipped over a 65 and Gary Fenton added another point before the final whistle.
London: JJ Burke; E Phelan, T Simms, B Forde; J Dillon, F McMahon, B Foley 0-1; M Harding 0-01 (1f), M O'Meara; D Smyth, J Ryan, J McGaughan; D Bourke 1-04 (3f), B Shortall 1-00, K McMullan 2-01.
Subs: E Kinlon (for Smyth 36 mins), G Fenton 0-01 (for O'Meara 36 mins), S Quinn 1-00 (for Shortall 55 mins), P Doyle (for Phelan 68 mins), P Finneran (for McMullan 70 mins).
Louth: S Smith; D Black, A Carter, S Darcy; R Byrne, P Dunne, D Mulholland; D McCarthy, S Callan 0-02; T Hilliard, J Carter, D Byrne; G Smith 1-01 (1f), D Dunne 0-01, N McEneaney 0-01.
Subs: G Collins (for R Byrne h/t), S Byrne (for J Carter 53 mins), A Mynes (for McEneaney 65 mins), N Byrne (for Darcy 71 mins).
Referee: T Mahon (Fermanagh).