The 2021 National Hurling League was the 90th season of the National Hurling League for county teams. The English county teams (London, Warwickshire and Lancashire) did not compete due to the COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions.
In February 2021 it was announced that the league would be delayed due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Gaelic games and that cancelling it would be a last resort. The league began on 8 May 2021.
Eir Sport and RTÉ provided live TV coverage of the league on Saturday nights. TG4 broadcast Sunday afternoon games. The highlights programmes were RTÉ2's League Sunday on Sunday evenings, and TG4's GAA 2021 on Monday evenings.
and were the joint winners.
Format
League structure
Thirty-two teams competed in the 2021 National Hurling League – twelve teams organised in two six-team groups of approximately equal strength in Division 1 six teams in Division 2A five teams in Divisions 2B and 3A four teams in Division 3B. All thirty-two county teams from Ireland took part.
London, Lancashire and Warwickshire did not take part; they retained their division placings (2B, 3A and 3B respectively) for the 2022 National Hurling League.
Teams by Province and Division Province Div 1 Div 2A Div 2B Div 3A Div 3B Total Connacht 1 0 2 1 1 5 Leinster 5 4 1 1 1 12 Munster 5 1 0 0 0 6 Ulster 1 1 2 3 2 9 Total 12 6 5 5 4 32
Each team plays all the other teams in their division once, either home or away. Two points are awarded for a win, and one for a draw.
Tie-breaker If only two teams are level on league points, the team that won the head-to-head match is ranked ahead. If this game was a draw, score difference (total scored minus total conceded in all games) is used to rank the teams. If three or more teams are level on league points, score difference is used to rank the teams.
Final, promotions and relegations
Division 1 There is no final; there will either be joint winners, or if the teams that win Divisions 1A and 1B meet in the 2021 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, this will double as the NHL final. The bottom team in each group meet in a relegation play-off, with the losers being relegated to Division 2A Divisions 2A, 2B and 3A The first-placed team is the division champion and is promoted The bottom team is relegated Division 3B The first-placed team is the Division 3B champion and is promoted to Division 3A
Division 1
Division 1 Format
The top twelve teams compete in Division 1 in two six-team groups of approximately equal strength. This group structure was introduced in 2020.
Each team play all the other teams in their group once. Two points are awarded for a win and one for a draw. The top team in each group will be deemed "Co-champion", unless they are drawn together in the 2021 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, in which case the match will double up as the league final.
Division 1 Group A Table
Division 1 Group A Rounds 1 to 5
Division 1 Group A Round 1
Division 1 Group A Round 2
Division 1 Group A Round 3
Division 1 Group A Round 4
Division 1 Group A Round 5
Division 1 Group B Table
Division 1 Group B Rounds 1 to 5
Division 1 Group B Round 1
Division 1 Group B Round 2
Division 1 Group B Round 3
Division 1 Group B Round 4
Division 1 Group B Round 5
Division 1 Final
If the two teams that won Divisions 1A and 1B (Galway and Kilkenny respectively) had met in the 2021 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, this would have doubled as the league final. This did not happen so both teams were declared as joint winners.
Division 1 relegation play-off
The bottom teams in the two Division 1 groups met in a play-off with the losers (Westmeath) relegated to Division 2A.
Division 1 scoring statistics
Top scorers overall
Rank Player Team Tally Total Matches Average1Donal BurkeDublin1-5558511.602P. J. ScullyLaois1-535669.333Jason FordeTipperary4-4153510.604Patrick HorganCork3-4251510.205Stephen BennettWaterford1-4346411.506Tony KellyClare2-3945411.257Lee ChinWexford1-404358.608Evan NilandGalway0-424258.409T. J. ReidKilkenny1-3437312.3310Aaron GillaneLimerick0-343448.50
Top scorers in a single game
Rank Player Team Tally Total Opposition1T. J. ReidKilkenny1-1821Wexford2Tony KellyClare0-2020Dublin3Donal BurkeDublin0-1818Laois4P. J. ScullyLaois0-1717Westmeath5Stephen BennettWaterford0-1515TipperaryStephen BennettWaterford1-1215Cork7Ciarán ClarkeAntrim1-1114ClareJason FordeTipperary0-1414LimerickEvan NilandGalway0-1414Limerick10Jason FordeTipperary2-0713WestmeathDonal BurkeDublin1-1013WexfordEvan NilandGalway0-1313WestmeathLee ChinWexford0-1313KilkennyAidan McCarthyClare0-1313LaoisAlan MurphyKilkenny0-1313AntrimDonal BurkeDublin0-1313Clare
Division 2A
Division 2A Table
Division 2A Rounds 1 to 5
Division 2A Round 1
Division 2A Round 2
Division 2A Round 3
Division 2A Round 4
Division 2A Round 5
Division 2A scoring statistics
Top scorers overall
Rank Player Club Tally Total Matches Average1Marty KavanaghCarlow4-6072514.402Eoghan CahillOffaly2-4349412.253Paul SheehanDown2-3642410.504Shane ConwayKerry1-2831310.335Christy MoorehouseWicklow0-303056.006Liam LangtonOffaly3-182746.757John Michael NolanCarlow5-102555.008Jack ReganMeath0-242446.009Chris NolanCarlow3-122154.25Shane NolanKerry2-152154.20
Top scorers in a single game
Rank Player Team Tally Total Opposition1Marty KavanaghCarlow1-1417KerryShane DooleyOffaly0-1717Wicklow2Shane ConwayKerry1-1316Wicklow3Marty KavanaghCarlow2-0915WicklowEoghan CahillOffaly1-1215CarlowMarty KavanaghCarlow1-1215Meath4Eoghan CahillOffaly1-1114Down5Marty KavanaghCarlow0-1313OffalyChristy MoorehouseWicklow0-1313Kerry6Paul SheehanDown1-0912CarlowMarty KavanaghCarlow0-1212DownJack ReganMeath0-1212KerryEoghan CahillOffaly0-1212Meath
Division 2B
Division 2B Table
Division 2B Rounds 1 to 5
Division 2B Round 1
Division 2B Round 2
Division 2B Round 3
Division 2B Round 4
Division 2B Round 5
Division 2B scoring statistics
Top scorers overall
Rank Player Club Tally Total Matches Average1Declan CoulterDonegal2-3440410.002Cormac O'DohertyDerry0-353548.753Cathal DolanRoscommon1-252847.004Johnny ByrneKildare4-102245.50Jack SheridanKildare2-162237.335Keith HigginsMayo1-161936.336James BurkeKildare3-091844.507Brian ByrneKildare0-171744.25Shane BolandMayo0-171744.258Brian CassidyDerry2-101635.33
Top scorers in a single game
Rank Player Team Tally Total Opposition1Declan CoulterDonegal2-0814Mayo2Johnny ByrneKildare3-0413DerryCormac O'DohertyDerry0-1313Donegal3Jack SheridanKildare2-0511RoscommonCormac O'DohertyDerry0-1111MayoBrian ByrneKildare0-1111Donegal4Brian CassidyDerry1-0710KildareDeclan CoulterDonegal0-1010DerryCathal DolanRoscommon0-108Derry5Declan CoulterDonegal0-099RoscommonJack SheridanKildare0-099Mayo
Division 3A
Division 3A Table
Division 3A Rounds 1 to 5
Division 3A Round 1
Division 3A Round 2
Division 3A Round 3
Division 3A Round 4
Division 3A Round 5
Division 3B
Division 3B Table
Division 3B Rounds 1 to 3
Division 3B Round 1
Division 3B Round 2
Division 3B Round 3
References
External links Full Fixtures and Results