The 1954 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was the 68th staging of the All-Ireland hurling championship since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1887. The championship began on 11 April 1954 and ended on 5 September 1954.
Cork were the defending champions and retained their title following a 1-9 to 1-6 victory over Wexford in the final.[1]
Teams
A total of fourteen teams contested the championship, an increase of one on the previous championship. Antrim, who last participated at this level in 1949, re-entered the championship in spite of facing no competition in the Ulster Senior Hurling Championship.
Team summaries
| Team | Colours | Most recent success | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All-Ireland | Provincial | League | ||
| Antrim | Saffron and white | 1946 | ||
| Clare | Saffron and blue | 1914 | 1932 | 1945-46 |
| Cork | Red and white | 1953 | 1953 | 1952-53 |
| Dublin | Blue and navy | 1938 | 1952 | 1938-39 |
| Galway | Maroon and white | 1923 | 1950-51 | |
| Kilkenny | Black and amber | 1947 | 1953 | 1932-33 |
| Laois | Blue and white | 1915 | 1949 | |
| Limerick | Green and white | 1940 | 1940 | 1946-47 |
| Meath | Green and gold | |||
| Offaly | Green, white and gold | |||
| Tipperary | Blue and gold | 1951 | 1951 | 1953-54 |
| Waterford | White and blue | 1948 | 1948 | |
| Westmeath | Maroon and white | |||
| Wexford | Purple and gold | 1910 | 1951 | |
Provincial championships
First round
| 11 April 1954 First round | Offaly | 6-08 - 1-03 | Westmeath | O'Connor Park, Tullamore |
| Furlong 2-1, Errity 1-3, J Spain 1-1, J Landy 1-0, Loughnane 1-0, Mitchell 0-2, Walsh 0-1. | Farrell 1-0, Carey 0-1, McGrath 0-1, Aylward 0-1. |
| 11 April 1954 First round | Laois | 1-09 - 1-10 | Meath | O'Moore Park, Portlaoise |
| N McDonnell 0-1, Hogan 1-3, Styles 0-2, Harding 0-1, O'Hanrahan 0-1, Kelly 0-1. | B Smyth 1-7, J O'Meara 0-1, Foran 0-1. | Referee: P Connell (Offaly) |
Second round
| 9 May 1954 Second round | Meath | 2-08 - 3-05 | Offaly | Nowlan Park, Kilkenny |
| F Foran 1-1, A Foran 1-1, B Smyth 0-3, J O'Meara 0-2, S O'Brien 0-1. | M Furlong 1-1, J Landy 1-1, W Pyke 1-0, T Errity 0-3, | Referee: J Mulcahy (Kilkenny) |
| 30 May 1954 Second round replay | Meath | 3-06 - 3-04 | Offaly | O'Moore Park, Portlaoise |
| B Smyth 1-1, F Foran 1-1, Rispin 1-0, A O'Halloran 0-2, S O'Brien 0-1, M Regan 0-1. | Dooley 2-2, M Furlong 1-1, E O'Brien 1-0, T Errity 0-1. | Referee: J Howard |
Semi-finals
| 6 June 1954 Semi-final | Wexford | 5-11 - 0-07 | Kilkenny | Croke Park, Dublin |
| T Flood 2-3, N Rackard 0-5, Padge Kehoe 1-1, D Ahearne 1-1, J Morrissey 1-0, N Wheeler 0-1. | D Carroll 0-6, J Carroll 0-1. | Attendance: 17,785 Referee: P Connell (Offaly) |
| 20 June 1954 Semi-final | Dublin | 3-08 - 2-04 | Meath | Croke Park, Dublin |
| Daly 2-0, N Allen 1-2, Herbert 0-4, Ryan 0-2, | Rispin 2-0, Smyth 0-2, O'Halloran 0-1, O'Meara 0-1. | Attendance: 8,839 Referee: J Mulcahy (Kilkenny) |
Final
| 18 July 1954 Final | Wexford | 8-05 - 1-04 | Dublin | Nowlan Park, Kilkenny |
| N Rackard 5-4, Padge Kehoe 1-0, T Flood 1-0, B Donovan 1-0, S Hearne 0-1. | P Shanahan 1-0, Herbert 0-2, N Allen 0-1, S Daly 0-1. | Attendance: 28,592 |
| First round | Second round | Semi-finals | Leinster final | ||||||||||||||||
| Wexford | 5-11 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Kilkenny | 0-7 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Wexford | 8-5 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Meath | 1-10 | Dublin | 1-4 | ||||||||||||||||
| Laois | 1-9 | Meath (R) | 2-8 3-6 | ||||||||||||||||
| Offaly | 6-8 | Offaly (R) | 3-5 3-4 | ||||||||||||||||
| Westmeath | 1-3 | Dublin | 3-8 | ||||||||||||||||
| Meath | 2-4 | ||||||||||||||||||
First round
| 13 June 1954 First round | Waterford | 4-03 - 0-01 | Limerick | Thurles Sportsfield |
| Doyle 2-0, S Power 1-1, D Whelan 1-1, M Flannelly 0-1. | S Leonard 0-1. | Attendance: 14,000 Referee: C Conway |
Semi-finals
| 20 June 1954 Semi-final | Tipperary | 5-06 - 3-03 | Clare | Gaelic Grounds, Limerick |
| N Ryan 2-2, P Kenny 1-3, S Bannon 1-1, M Seymour 1-0. | J Smyth 1-3, N Jordan 1-0, J Greene 1-0. | Attendance: 15,000 Referee: W O'Donoghue (Limerick) |
| 27 June 1954 Semi-final | Cork | 7-08 - 4-05 | Waterford | Thurles Sportsfield, Thurles |
| C Ring 1-4, P Barry 2-0, J Clifford 1-1, WJ Daly 1-0, J Hartnett 1-0, É Goulding 0-2. | S Power 4-2, Own scores 1-1, P Doyle 1-0, M Flannelly 0-3. | Attendance: 19,883 Referee: W O'Donoghue (Limerick) |
Final
| 18 July 1954 Final | Cork | 2-08 - 1-08 | Tipperary | Gaelic Grounds |
| C Ring 1-5, P Barry 1-0, J Clifford 0-3. | P Kenny 0-5, Seymour 1-0, Bannon 0-1, Ryan 0-1, Hough 0-1. | Attendance: 50,071 Referee: W O'Donoghue (Limerick) |
| Quarter-final | Semi-finals | Munster final | ||||||||||||
| Tipperary | 5-6 | |||||||||||||
| Clare | 3-3 | |||||||||||||
| Tipperary | 1-8 | |||||||||||||
| Cork | 2-8 | |||||||||||||
| Cork | 7-8 | |||||||||||||
| Limerick | 0-1 | Waterford | 4-5 | |||||||||||
| Waterford | 4-3 | |||||||||||||
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
All-Ireland semi-finals
| 8 August 1954 Semi-final | Wexford | 12-17 - 2-03 | Antrim | Croke Park, Dublin |
| N Rackard 7-7, T Flood 3-0, Paddy Kehoe 1-2, Padge Kehoe 1-3, O'Donovan 0-2, J Morrissey 0-2, S Hearne 0-1. | P McManus 1-0, S Mulholland 1-0, B McDonald 0-2, C Lynn 0-1. | Attendance: 35,744 Referee: J Langton (Kilkenny) |
| 8 August 1954 Semi-final | Cork | 4-13 - 2-01 | Galway | Croke Park, Dublin |
| WJ Daly 1-3, J Hartnett 1-2, É Goulding 1-1, C Ring 0-4, J Clifford 1-0, P Barry 0-1, G Murphy 0-1, W Moore 0-1. | M McInerney 1-0, E Monaghan 1-0, P Duggan 0-1. | Attendance: 35,744 Referee: J Mulcahy (Kilkenny) |
All-Ireland final
| 5 September 1954 Final | Cork | 1-09 - 1-06 | Wexford | Croke Park, Dublin |
| C Ring 0-5, J Clifford 1-0, É Goulding 0-1, WJ Daly 0-1, V Twomey 0-1, J Hartnett 0-1. | T Ryan 1-0, N Rackard 0-3, T Flood, 0-2, P Kehoe 0-1. | Attendance: 84,856 Referee: J Mulcahy (Kilkenny) |
Championship statistics
Top scorers
- Top scorers overall
| Rank | Player | Club | Tally | Total | Matches | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nicky Rackard | Wexford | 12-19 | 55 | 4 | 13.75 |
| 2 | Christy Ring | Cork | 2-18 | 24 | 4 | 6.00 |
| 3 | Tim Flood | Wexford | 6-05 | 23 | 4 | 5.75 |
| 4 | Brian Smyth | Meath | 2-13 | 19 | 4 | 4.75 |
| 5 | Séamus Power | Waterford | 5-03 | 18 | 2 | 9.00 |
| 6 | Mickey Furlong | Offaly | 4-03 | 15 | 3 | 5.00 |
| 7 | Padge Kehoe | Wexford | 3-05 | 14 | 4 | 3.50 |
| 8 | Johnny Clifford | Cork | 3-04 | 13 | 4 | 3.75 |
| 9 | Paddy Kenny | Tipperary | 1-08 | 11 | 2 | 5.50 |
| 10 | Paddy Barry | Cork | 3-01 | 10 | 4 | 2.50 |
| Willie John Daly | Cork | 2-04 | 10 | 4 | 2.50 | |
| Tommy Errity | Offaly | 1-07 | 10 | 3 | 3.33 |
- Top scorers in a single game
| Rank | Player | Club | Tally | Total | Opposition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nicky Rackard | Wexford | 7-07 | 28 | Antrim |
| 2 | Nicky Rackard | Wexford | 5-04 | 19 | Dublin |
| 3 | Séamus Power | Waterford | 4-02 | 14 | Cork |
| 4 | Brian Smyth | Meath | 1-07 | 10 | Laois |
| 5 | Tim Flood | Wexford | 3-00 | 9 | Antrim |
| Tim Flood | Wexford | 2-03 | 9 | Kilkenny | |
| 6 | Ned Ryan | Tipperary | 2-02 | 8 | Clare |
| Tom Dooley | Offaly | 2-02 | 8 | Meath | |
| Christy Ring | Cork | 1-05 | 8 | Tipperary | |
| 7 | Mickey Furlong | Offaly | 2-01 | 7 | Westmeath |
| Christy Ring | Cork | 1-04 | 7 | Waterford |
Scoring
- Widest winning margin: 44 points
- Most goals in a match: 14
- Most points in a match: 20
- Most goals by one team in a match: 12
- Most goals scored by a losing team: 4
- Most points scored by a losing team: 9
Miscellaneous
- Meath qualified for the Leinster semi-finals for the first time in the history of the championship.
- Antrim took part in the All-Ireland semi-finals for the first time since 1949. It was their last game at this stage of the championship until re-entering the championship in 1984.
- Wexford's Nicky Rackard scores 7-7 in their All-Ireland semi-final meeting with Antrim. It is believed to be a record score for an All-Ireland semi-final.
- Cork's Christy Ring wins a record-breaking eighth All-Ireland medal as Cork claim a third successive championship for the third time in their history.
Roll of Honour
- Cork - 19 (1954)
- Tipperary - 16 (1951)
- Kilkenny - 13 (1947)
- Limerick - 6 (1940)
- Dublin - 6 (1938)
- Waterford - 1 (1948)
- Galway - 1 (1923)
- Laois - 1 (1915)
- Clare - 1 (1914)
- Wexford - 1 (1910)
- London - 1 (1901)
- Kerry - 1 (1891)
Player facts
Debutantes
The following players made their début in the 1954 championship:
| Player | Team | Date | Opposition | Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Darby | Meath | April 11 | Laois | Leinster first round |
| Mick Cashman | Cork | June 27 | Waterford | Munster semi-final |
| Johnny Clifford | Cork | June 27 | Waterford | Munster semi-final |
| Éamonn Goulding | Cork | June 27 | Waterford | Munster semi-final |
Retirees
The following players played their last game in the 1954 championship:
| Player | Team | Last Game | Date | Opposition | Début |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom O'Sullivan | Cork | Munster final | July 18 | Tipperary | 1953 |
Sources
- Corry, Eoghan, The GAA Book of Lists (Hodder Headline Ireland, 2005).
- Donegan, Des, The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games (DBA Publications Limited, 2005).
- Horgan, Tim, Christy Ring: Hurling's Greatest (The Collins Press, 2007).
- Nolan, Pat, Flashbacks: A Half Century of Cork Hurling (The Collins Press, 2000).
- Sweeney, Éamonn, Munster HUrling Legends (The O'Brien Press, 2002).
References
- ^ "As Kilkenny aim for a historic five-in-a-row, the records show how hard it is to keep winning". Irish Independent. 2 September 2010. Retrieved 14 October 2013.