2008 Nicky Rackard Cup

The 2008 Nicky Rackard Cup was the 4th annual third tier hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association. Sligo beat Louth in the final.

Team changes

To Championship Entered Championship

Fingal South Down

From Championship Promoted to the Christy Ring Cup

Armagh Roscommon

Format

Ten county teams participated in the 2008 Nicky Rackard Cup, with Fingal (north Dublin) and "South Down" (Down excluding the Ards Peninsula) bringing the total to twelve.

Group 3A: Fingal, Longford, Louth Group 3B: Fermanagh, Leitrim, South Down Group 3C: Donegal, Monaghan, Tyrone Group 3D: Cavan, Sligo, Warwickshire

Each team in the group played each other once in the first phase. The top two teams in each group advanced to the quarter-finals.

Group A

Pos Team P W D L SF SA Diff PtsQualification1 Fingal 2 1 0 1 3-29 4-20 +6 2Advance to Knockout Stage2 Louth 2 1 0 1 1-26 0-29 0 23 Longford 2 1 0 1 3-22 3-28 -6 2 Date Team Score Team Score 28 June Louth 1-13 Fingal 0-14 5 July Fingal 3-15 Longford 3-07 12 July Longford 0-15 Louth 0-13

Group B

Pos Team P W D L SF SA Diff PtsQualification1 South Down 2 2 0 0 7-31 4-29 +11 4Advance to Knockout Stage2 Leitrim 2 1 0 1 4-29 4-27 +2 23 Fermanagh 2 0 0 2 3-24 6-28 -13 0

Date Team Score Team Score 28 June South Down 3-16 Leitrim 2-16 5 July Leitrim 2-13 Fermanagh 1-11 12 July Fermanagh 2-13 South Down 4-15

Group 3C Date Team Score Team Score 28 June Donegal 2-11 Tyrone 2-12 5 July Tyrone 3-08 Monaghan 3-13 12 July Monaghan 0-19 Donegal 1-15

Team P W D L F A Pts +/- Monaghan 2 2 0 0 3-32 4-23 4 +6 Tyrone 2 1 0 1 5-20 5-24 2 -4 Donegal 2 0 0 2 3-26 2-31 0 -2

Group 3D Date Team Score Team Score 28 June Sligo 3-15 Cavan 1-12 5 July Cavan 0-16 Warwickshire 0-12 12 July Warwickshire 2-10 Sligo 1-15

Team P W D L F A Pts +/- Sligo 2 2 0 0 4-30 3-17 4 +16 Cavan 2 1 0 1 1-23 3-27 2 -10 Warwickshire 2 0 0 2 2-22 1-31 0 -6

Knockout stage

Bracket

Final

GK1 Ciarán Brennan (Coolera/Strandhill)RCB2 Fiachra Coyne (Calry/St. Joseph's)FB3 Walter Gill (Turloughmore, Galway)LCB4 Ronan Cox (Calry/St. Joseph's)RHB5 Dermot Clarke (Mullagh, Galway)CHB6 Mark Burke (Tubbercurry)LHB7 Liam Reidy (Calry/St. Joseph's)MF8 John Mullins (Mullagh, Galway)MF9 David Colleary (Calry/St. Joseph's)RHF10 Michael Gilmartin (Calry/St. Joseph's)CHF11 Damien Burke (Calry/St. Joseph's) (c)LHF12 Paul Seevers (Tubbercurry)RCF13 Joe Bannerton (Naomh Eoin)FF14 Keith Raymond (Calry/St. Joseph's)LCF15 Larry Cadden (Coolera/Strandhill)Substitutes: 16 Colin Herity (Dunnamaggin, Kilkenny) for Cadden 17 Mick Shelly (Calry/St. Joseph's) for Bannerton 18 Conor O'Mahony (Coolera/Strandhill) for GilmartinManager: Michael Galvin GK1 Stephen Smyth (Pearse Óg)RCB2 Conor Kerrigan (Knockbridge)FB3 Tony Teefy (Knockbridge)LCB4 Brian Hassett (Pearse Óg)RHB5 Donnach Callan (Pearse Óg)CHB6 Aidan Carter (Wolfe Tones)LHB7 Johnny Carter (Wolfe Tones)MF8 Trevor Hilliard (Knockbridge) MF9 Shane Kerrigan (Knockbridge) RHF10 Shane Fennell (Knockbridge)CHF11 Ronan Byrne (Knockbridge)LHF12 Gerard Smyth (Pearse Óg) RCF13 Seán Conroy (Pearse Óg)FF14 Shane Callan (Pearse Óg)LCF15 Diarmuid Murphy (Naomh Moninne)Substitutes: 16 Mark Kirwan (Wolfe Tones) for Teefy 17 David Dunne (Knockbridge) (c) for G. Smyth 18 Eddie McCarthy (Pearse Óg) for S. Kerrigan 19 Collins Connolly (Dicksboro, Kilkenny) for Fennell 20 Paul Dunne (Knockbridge) for ConroyManager: Pat Clancy

Scores Match Date Venue Team Score Team Score Quarter-final 19 July Parnell Park Fingal 1-19 Leitrim 0-12 Quarter-final 19 July Páirc Esler South Down 2-16 Louth 4-13 Quarter-final 19 July St Tiernach's Park Monaghan 1-11 Cavan 0-09 Quarter-final 19 July Markievicz Park Sligo 2-15 Tyrone 2-11 semi-final 26 July Monaghan Monaghan 1-13 Louth 0-18 semi-final 26 July Markievicz Park Sligo 1-16 Fingal 0-11 Final 3 August Croke Park Louth 3-10 Sligo 3-19

Stadia and locations

Miscellaneous

2008 season facts

Sligo, the eventual winners of the competition finished the preceding league tournament without a win, resulting in relegation to division 4 next year. Donegal, who won every game of the league, were eliminated from the Championship at the first (group stage) hurdle. Sligo had the opportunity of defending their crown in 2009 after losing 1–17 to 1–13 to Roscommon in the championship promotion/relegation play-off. However a change in the Hurling competition structures with the introduction of a 4th tier championship Lory Meagher Cup meant that sligo and Roscommon both played in the 2009 Nicky Rackard Cup.

2008 Nicky Rackard Cup

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