South West Junior A Football Championship


The South West Junior A Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition organised by the Carbery Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1926 for junior Gaelic football teams in the Barony of Carbery in County Cork, Ireland.
The series of games begin in April, with the championship culminating with the final in the autumn. The championship includes a knock-out stage and a "back door" for teams defeated in the first round.
The South West Junior Championship is an integral part of the wider Cork Junior Football Championship. The winners and runners-up of the West Cork championship join their counterparts from the other seven divisions to contest the county championship.
20 clubs currently participate in the South West Championship. The title has been won at least once by 21 different clubs. The all-time record-holders are Bandon, who have won a total of 16 titles.
St. James's are the title-holders after defeating Ballinascarthy by 0-11 to 0-9 in the 2019 championship final. It was their first ever title at this grade.

The championship

Overview

The West Cork Junior Championship is effectively a knockout tournament with pairings drawn at random — there are no seeds.
Each match is played as a single leg. If a match ends as a draw there is a period of extra time, however, if both sides are still level at the end of extra time a replay takes place and so on until a winner is found.

Format

Preliminary round:
Four teams contest this round. An open draw is made to determine the two pairings. The two winning teams advance to the latter stages of the championship. The two losing teams advance directly to Round 1.
Round 1:
Sixteen teams contest this round. An open draw is made to determine the eight pairings. The eight winning teams of these games advance directly to Round 3. The eight losing teams advance directly to Round 2.
Round 2:
Eight teams contest this round. An open draw is made to determine the four pairings. The four winning teams of these games advance directly to the quarter-finals. The four losing teams enter the relegation play-offs.
Round 3:
Eight teams contest this round. An open draw is made to determine the four pairings. The four winning teams of these games advance directly to the quarter-finals. The four losing teams are eliminated from the championship.
Relegation play-offs:
Four teams contest this round. An open draw is made to determine the two pairings. The two losing teams advance to the final. The losing team from that game is relegated from the championship.
Quarter-finals:
Eight teams contest this round. An open draw is made to determine the eight pairings. The four winning teams advance directly to the semi-finals. The four losing teams are eliminated from the championship.
Semi-finals:
Four teams contest this round. An open draw is made to determine the two pairings. The two winning teams advance directly to the final. The two losing teams are eliminated from the championship.
Final:
The final is contested by the two semi-final winners.

Participating teams (2019)

TeamLocationColours
BallinascarthyBallinascarthyRed and white
BandonBandonYellow and white
BarryroeBarryroeBlue and navy
Carbery RangersRosscarberyGreen, white and gold
CastlehavenCastlehavenBlue and white
Clann na nGaelDrimoleagueGreen, white and black
ClonakiltyClonakiltyGreen and red
Diarmuid Ó Mathúna'sCastletown-KinneighBlue and gold
DohenysDunmanwayGreen and white
Ilen RoversBaltimoreGreen and white
KilbrittainKilbrittainBlack and yellow
KilmacabeaLeapGreen and yellow
KilmeenRossmoreBlue and white
Muintir BháireDurrusMaroon and white
O'Donovan RossaSkibbereenRed and white
St. Colum'sKealkillBlack and orange
St. James'sArdfield/RathbarryGreen and gold
St. Mary'sEnniskeanGreen and gold
St. Oliver Plunkett'sAhiohillBlack and white
Tadhg Mac Cárthaigh'sCaheraghRed and yellow

Roll of honour

#TeamWinsWinning Years
1Bandon161929, 1947, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1960, 1970, 1971, 1975, 1986, 1989, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2015
2Dohenys121927, 1931, 1935, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1962, 1965, 1966, 1992, 1993
3Carbery Rangers101937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1980, 1984, 1987, 1991, 1998, 2003
4Bantry Blues91928, 1932, 1944, 1946, 1947, 1968, 1969, 1972, 1985
5O'Donovan Rossa71945, 1961, 1963, 1974, 1979, 1982, 2005
6Tadhg Mac Cárthaigh's61995, 1997, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2012
7Clonakilty41930, 1948, 1949, 1977
7Newcestown41964, 1967, 1988, 1990
7Ilen Rovers41996, 1999, 2000, 2001
8Enniskean31933, 1934, 1936
8Clann na nGael31941, 1942, 1981
9Darrara21954, 1955
9Castlehaven21973, 1976
9Ballinascarthy21978, 1983
9St. Mary's22009, 2014
9Gabriel Rangers22010, 2016
9Kilmacabea22017, 2018
10Kilbrittain11926
10Rock Rovers11943
10Argideen Rangers11994
10St. Colum's12013
10St. James's12019

Records

By decade

The most successful team of each decade, judged by number of West Cork Junior Football Championship titles, is as follows:
10 teams of the 21 who have won the championship have successfully defended the title. These are:
Top ten longest gaps between successive championship titles:

The Double

Five teams have won the South West Junior Football Championship and the South West Junior Hurling Championship in a single year as part of a Gaelic football-hurling double. Kilbrittain became the first team to win the double in 1926. Bandon are the record holders having claimed the double on four occasions - 1929, 1960, 1971 and 1975. Dohenys are the only club to have won a back-to-back double - 1958 and 1959. Newcestown and Clonakilty complete the list of double-winning teams.
Club sides Argideen Rangers, Ballinascarthy and O'Donovan Rossa also hold the distinction of being dual divisional junior championship-winning teams, however, these were not achieved in a single calendar season.