The Antrim Junior Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Casement Social Club Junior Hurling Championship and abbreviated to the Antrim JHC) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Antrim County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association and contested by the junior-graded clubs in the county of Antrim in Northern Ireland. It is the third tier overall in the entire Antrim hurling championship system.
| Antrim Junior Hurling Championship | |
|---|---|
| Irish | Craobh Iomána Shóisearach Aontroma |
| Code | Hurling |
| Region |  Antrim (GAA) |
| Trophy | Kevin Grieve Cup |
| No. of teams | 8 |
| Title holders |  Shane O'Neill's (2nd title) |
| Sponsors | Casement Social Club |
| Official website | Official website |
In its current format, the Antrim Junior Championship begins in August. The 8 participating club teams are draw into two groups of four teams and play each other in a round-robin system.[1] The first and second-placed teams in both groups proceed to the knockout phase that culminates with the final. The winner of the Antrim Junior Championship qualifies for the subsequent Ulster Club Championship.
Shane O'Neill's are the title holders after defeating St. Mary's, Rasharkin by 1–21 to 0–16 in the 2022 final.[2]
Format
Group stage
The 8 teams are divided into two groups of four. Over the course of the group stage, each team plays once against the others in the group, resulting in each team being guaranteed at least three games. 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
Semi-finals: The first and second-placed teams from both groups contest this round. The two winners from these games advance to the final.
Final: The two semi-final winners contest the final. The winning team are declared champions.
Promotion
At the end of the championship, the winning team is automatically promoted to the Antrim Intermediate Championship for the following season.
2023 teams
| Team | Location | Colours |
|---|---|---|
| All Saints | Ballymena | Black and white |
| Glen Rovers | Armoy | Blue and white |
| Gort na Móna | Turf Lodge | Maroon and yellow |
| Lámh Dhearg | Springfield Road | Red and white |
| Michael Davitts | Falls Road | Green, white and gold |
| St Brigid's | Malone Road | White, blue and yellow |
| St Brigid's, Cloughmills | Cloughmills | Orange and black |
| St Mary's, Rasharkin | Rasharkin | Blue and yellow |
Sponsorship
Casement Social Club have been the title sponsor of the Antrim Junior Hurling Championship since 2019.[3]
Qualification for subsequent competitions
The Antrim Junior Championship winners qualify for the subsequent Ulster Junior Club Hurling Championship.
Trophy and medals
The Kevin Grieve Cup is the current prize for winning the championship. In accordance with GAA rules, the County Board awards a set of gold medals to the championship winners.
List of finals
| Year | Winners | Score | Runners-up | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | St. Mary's, Rasharkin | 1-14 | Robert Emmets | 2-06 | [4] |
| 2010 | St Brigid's, Cloughmills | 1-16 | Robert Emmets | 3-07 | [5] |
| 2011 | Creggan Kickhams | 0-17 | Con Magees | 2-06 | |
| 2012 | St. Enda's | 0-14 | Robert Emmets | 0-07 | [6] |
| 2013 | Creggan Kickhams | 3-08 | Robert Emmets | 1-09 | [7] |
| 2014 | Con Magees | 1-12 | St. Mary's, Rasharkin | 0-12 | [8] |
| 2015 | St. Mary's, Rasharkin | 1-12 | St. Teresa's | 0-12 | |
| 2016 | Lámh Dhearg | 2-10 | Robert Emmets | 1-12 | [9] |
| 2017 | Gort na Móna | 3-12 | Shane O'Neill's | 3-10 | [10] |
| 2018 | Robert Emmets | 1-23 | Shane O'Neill's | 2-07 | [11] |
| 2019 | Gort na Móna | 0-20 | St. Paul's | 0-14 | [12] |
| 2020 | St. Paul's | 3-12 | St. Mary's, Rasharkin | 1-08 | [13] |
| 2021 | Con Magees | 1-21 | Shane O'Neill's | 0-16 | [14] |
| 2022 | Shane O'Neill's | 1-21 | St. Mary's, Rasharkin | 0-16 |