The Cork Junior B Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Co-Op Superstores Cork Junior B Hurling Championship and abbreviated to the Cork JBHC) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Cork County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association and contested by the second tier junior clubs in the county of Cork in Ireland. It is the seventh tier overall in the entire Cork hurling championship system.[1]
The Cork Junior B Championship was introduced in 1984 as a countywide competition for "weaker" junior teams. At the time of its creation it was the fourth tier of Cork hurling.[citation needed]
The Cork Junior B Championship is unlike all other championships in Cork in that it doesn't include a group stage. In its current format, the teams compete in a double-elimination tournament which culminates with a final. The winner of the Cork Junior B Championship qualifies for the subsequent Munster Club Championship.[citation needed]
Buttevant are the title holders, defeating Iveleary 2-16 to 1-10 in the 2024 final.
In 2015, a second Junior B Championship (known as Inter-Divisional Championship) was introduced to run parallel with the traditional Junior B Championship. Mirroring the Junior A Hurling Championship, this competition allows all the Junior B divisional champions an opportunity to win a county. Unlike the traditional Championship, second string teams can enter the divisional championships and potentially win the county championship.[citation needed]
Format
Group stage
The 10 teams are divided into one group of four and two groups of three. Over the course of the group stage, each team plays once against the others in the group. Two points are awarded for a win, one for a draw and zero for a loss. The teams are ranked in the group stage table by points gained, then scoring difference and then their head-to-head record. The top two teams in each group qualify for the knockout stage.
Knockout stage
Quarter-finals: The eight qualifying teams from the group stage contest this round. The four winners from these four games advance to the semi-finals.
Semi-finals: The four quarter-final winners contest this round. The two winners from these four games advance to the semi-finals.
Final: The two semi-final winners contest the final. The winning team are declared champions.
