Kildare (2nd title) Brian Byrne (captain) Joe Quaid (manager)
Runners-up
London Brian Regan (captain) Fergus McMahon (manager)
Tournament statistics
Matches played
15
Official website
gaa.ie
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The 2018 Christy Ring Cup[1] was the 14th staging of the Christy Ring Cup hurling championship since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 2005. It is the third tier[2] of senior inter-county hurling. The competition began on 12 May 2018 and ended on 23 June 2018.
Carlow were the 2017 champions, beating Antrim in the final. Both teams were included in the counties competing in the newly created Joe McDonagh Cup. Roscommon lost their play-off match against Mayo in 2017 – normally Roscommon would have been relegated but they remained in the 2018 Christy Ring Cup as a result of the restructuring of the hurling championship tiers.[3]
Kildare were the 2018 Chrisy Ring champions, defeating London by 3–19 to 1–11 in the final. Kildare lost the relegation/promotion game against Antrim and remained in the Christy Ring Cup for 2019.
Beginning in 2018, the Christy Ring Cup changed to an initial stage of two groups of four teams. Previously it was a double elimination tournament. The top two teams from both groups advance to the semi-finals. In 2018, teams at the bottom of each group will automatically be relegated to the Nicky Rackard Cup for 2019. In subsequent years, the bottom teams will meet in a relegation playoff to decide the one team relegated to the following year's Nicky Rackard Cup.
The Christy Ring champions contest a promotion/relegation playoff with the second bottom team in the Joe McDonagh Cup with the winner earning the right to compete in the 2019 Joe McDonagh Cup.
Following the creation of the Joe McDonagh Cup in 2018, the Christy Ring Cup was reclassified as tier 3 (it was previously tier 2).
D McCreesh 0-5, S Renaghan 1-1,C Rice 0-2, E McGuinness, D McKenna, J Corvan, N Curry (f), D Gaffney, S Toal 0-1 each
Report
A Grant 0-7 (4f, 1 '65); B Cassidy 0-6 (3f),M McGrath 1-3; N Waldron 1-1, S McGuigan 0-4; D Cartin, M McGuigan, G Bradley, C Waldron 0-2 each; P Cleary 0-1.
C McAnallen 0-5 (5f), E McGuinness, S Renaghan, D McCreesh 0-2 each.
Report
C Nelson 0-6, S Lawless 1-2, A Sheehan (1f, 2'65's'), M Duggan, C Burke 0-4 each, J Troy 1-1, M Dwyer 0-3, F Collins 1-0, H Vaughan 1-0 M Ivors (f), R Murphy, C McAlinden 0-1 each.
J Sheridan 2-0, B Cormack 0-5f, J Burke 0-4(2f), M Fitzgerald 1-1, S Ryan 0-2, M Moloney, M Grace, N O’Muineacháin, B Byrne, P Divilly and K Whelan 0-1 each
Report
C O’Doherty 0-6(5f), S McGuigan 1-2, B Rogers 1-1, G Bradley 0-2, P Cleary and C Waldron 0-1 each
A Sheehan 0-6 (5f), C Nelson 1-0, K O’Loughlin 0-2 (2f), S Lawless, J Troy D O’Regan 0-1 each
Report
James Burke 0-8, Jack Sheridan 2-1, Shane Ryan 1-0, Eanna O'Neill 0-2, Mark Delaney 0-2, Niall Ó Muineacháin 0-2, Paul Divily 0-1, Martin Fitzgerald 0-1, Brian Byrne 0-1, Kevin Whelan 0-1
^For official fixtures and results see Christy Ring Cup at gaa.ie
^Hurling tiers - 1. All-Ireland (Liam MacCarthy Cup) 2. Joe McDonagh Cup 3. Christy Ring Cup 4. Nicky Rackard Cup 5. Lory Meagher Cup
^Healy, Paul (25 May 2017). "Hurlers get that sinking feeling again". Roscommon People. Archived from the original on 30 October 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
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