# 2018 Nicky Rackard Cup

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2018 Nicky Rackard Cup Dates 12 May 2018 – 23 June 2018 Teams 9 Champions Donegal (2nd title) Mickey McCann (manager) Tournament statistics Matches played 6 Top scorer(s) Joe O'Brien (2-24) ← 2017 (Previous) (Next) 2019 →

The **2018 Nicky Rackard Cup** was the 14th staging of the [Nicky Rackard Cup](/source/Nicky_Rackard_Cup) hurling championship since its establishment by the [Gaelic Athletic Association](/source/Gaelic_Athletic_Association) in 2005. It was the fourth tier[1] of senior inter-county hurling as of 2018.

The competition began on Saturday 12 May 2018 and ended on Saturday 23 June 2018.

[Derry](/source/Derry_GAA) were the [2017 champions](/source/2017_Nicky_Rackard_Cup), beating [Armagh](/source/Armagh_GAA) in the final. Both teams were promoted to the [2018 Christy Ring Cup](/source/2018_Christy_Ring_Cup) as a result of the restructuring of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. Following the withdrawal of the Fingal team from the competition in 2017, there was no relegation from the 2017 competition and Warwickshire were promoted from the [2017 Lory Meagher Cup](/source/2017_Lory_Meagher_Cup).

## Format

Beginning in 2018, the Nicky Rackard Cup changed to an initial stage of two groups, which in 2018 consisted of one group of four teams and one group of three teams. Previously it was a double elimination tournament.

The top two teams from both groups advance to the knockout semi-finals. The winners of the 2018 Nicky Rackard Cup are promoted to the 2019 Christy Ring Cup. Two teams will be relegated from the 2018 Christy Ring Cup to the 2019 Nicky Rackard Cup to make the 2019 completion into two groups of four teams.

The bottom teams from each group playoff in a relegation match with the losers playing in the 2019 Lory Meagher Cup. They are replaced by the winners of the [2018 Lory Meagher Cup](/source/2018_Lory_Meagher_Cup).[2]

## Group stage

### Group 1

#### Table

Pos Team Pld W D L SF SA Diff Pts Qualification 1 Warwickshire 3 3 0 0 68 52 +16 6 Advance to knockout stage 2 Monaghan 3 1 1 1 69 58 +11 3 3 Longford 3 1 0 2 48 59 -11 2 4 Louth 3 0 1 2 49 65 -16 1 Advance to relegation playoff

#### Matches

#### Group 1 Round 1

[Monaghan](/source/Monaghan_GAA) v [Longford](/source/Longford_GAA)

12 May 2018 Round 1 Monaghan 4-19 – 2-11 Longford Grattan Park, Inniskeen E Collins 1-7, M Treanor 1-3, F Rafter 0-5 (2fs) T Campbell, B McGuigan 1-0, C Boye 0-2, A Kenny, C McNally 0-1 each. Report J O'Brien 2-3, C Mullane 0-4 (3fs), P Walsh 0-2, C Kavanagh 0-1. Referee: A Ferguson (Fermanagh)

[Louth](/source/Louth_GAA) v Warwickshire

12 May 2018 Round 1 Louth 1-16 – 3-19 Warwickshire Dundalk P Lynch 0-6 (4 fs), D Kettle 1-1, R Byrne (2fs), S Callan, S Connelly 0-2 each, J Crosbie, G Smyth, D Ryan 0-1 each. Report N McKenna (5fs), D Nugent 0-5 each, P Hoban 0-4 (3fs), S Caulfield 1-1, G Lennon, K Magee 1-0 each, P Uniacke 0-2, J Collins, N Kennedy 0-1 each. Referee: J Clarke (Cavan)

#### Group 1 Round 2

Warwickshire v [Monaghan](/source/Monaghan_GAA)

19 May 2018 Round 2 Warwickshire 1-21 - 3-11 Monaghan Páirc na hÉireann, Solihull N McKenna 0-9 (5f), G Lennon 1-4, P Hoban 0-2 (1f), D Nugent 0-2, B Fallon 0-2, J Collins and S Caulfield 0-1 each. Report F Rafter 0-7 (2f), M Treanor 1-0, E Collins 1-1, T Campbell 1-1, C Boyle 0-3, P Finnegan 0-1. Referee: K Brady (Louth)

[Longford](/source/Longford_GAA) v [Louth](/source/Louth_GAA)

19 May 2018 Round 2 Longford 0-19 - 0-12 Louth Pearse Park, Longford J O'Brien 0-9 (5f), P Walsh 0-5, K Murray 0-2, C Mullane, C Kavanagh, D Connell 0-1 each. Report P Lynch 0-4, (3f, 1'65), A McCrave, M Molloy, S Connolly 0-2 each, D Ryan, J Crosbie 0-1 each. Referee: T Gleeson (Dublin)

#### Group 1 Round 3

[Louth](/source/Louth_GAA) v [Monaghan](/source/Monaghan_GAA)

2 June 2018 Round 3 Louth 0-18 - 0-18 Monaghan Dowdallshill 1:00 pm P Lynch 0-10 (9f); R Byrne 0-3 (3f); G Smyth, D Kettle, S Connelly, S Kettle, M Molloy 0-1 each. Report F Rafter 0-10 (9f); M Treanor 0-2; E Collins 0-2; C Boyle, C Flynn, P Finnegan and C Power 0-1 each. Referee: G McGrath (Wexford)

[Longford](/source/Longford_GAA) v Warwickshire

2 June 2018 Round 3 Longford 0-13 - 1-13 Warwickshire Glennon Brothers Pearse Park, Longford 1:00 pm J O'Brien 0-12 (8f, 1 '65), Jody Leonard 0-1. Report N McKenna 0-9 (7f, 1 '65'), K Magee 1-0, P Hoban, S Caulfield, C Robbins, B Fallon 0-1 each. Referee: J Clarke (Cavan)

### Group 2

#### Table

Pos Team Pld W D L SF SA Diff Pts Qualification 1 Donegal 2 2 0 0 63 29 +34 4 Advance to knockout stage 2 Tyrone 2 1 0 1 46 49 -3 2 3 Leitrim 2 0 0 2 34 65 -31 0 Advance to relegation playoff

#### Matches

#### Group 2 Round 1

[Tyrone](/source/Tyrone_GAA) v [Donegal](/source/Donegal_GAA)

12 May 2018 Round 1 Tyrone 1-12 – 1-26 Donegal Killyclogher 1:00 pm D Casey 0-7 (4f, 1 '65), B McGurk 1-0, C Kearns 0-2, L Devlin, R McKernan, D Begley 0-1 each. Report D Coulter 0-13 (9f), D Flynn 1-5, C Matthewson 0-3, G Gilmore 0-2, R McDermott, J Donnelly, C McDermott 0-1 each.

#### Group 2 Round 2

[Donegal](/source/Donegal_GAA) v [Leitrim](/source/Leitrim_GAA)

19 May 2018 Round 2 Donegal 2-28 - 2-08 Leitrim O'Donnell Park, Letterkenny 1:00 pm D Flynn (4f, 1 '65) 1-13, G Gilmore 1-4, J Boyle, K Campbell, L Henderson 0-2 each, C Matthewson, D Cullen, E McDermott, B Lafferty, C McDermott 0-1 each. Report C Cunniffe (4f) 1-5, B Murray 1-0, C Donovan 0-2, J Clancy 0-1. Referee: K McGeeney (Roscommon)

#### Group 2 Round 3

[Leitrim](/source/Leitrim_GAA) v [Tyrone](/source/Tyrone_GAA)

2 June 2018 Round 3 Leitrim 2-14 - 2-25 Tyrone Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada, Carrick 1:00 pm C Cunniffe 0-6 (5f, '65'); C O'Donovan 0-4; C Moreton & J Glancy 1-0 (each); Z Moradi 0-2; A Duffy, J McNabola 0-1 (each). Report P O'Kelly 0-8; D Casey 1-4 (f); A Kelly 1-1; C Kearns, J Ferguson, J Kelly, T Morgan 0-2 each; R McKernan, B McGurk, D Begley, L Armstrong 0-1 each. Referee: A Ferguson (Fermanagh)

## Knockout stage

### Bracket

Semi-Finals Final Warwickshire 1-25 Tyrone 1-14 Warwickshire 0-18 Donegal 2-19 Donegal 4-22 Monaghan 1-10

### Semi-finals

The Group 1 winners play the Group 2 runners-up and the Group 2 winners play the Group 1 runners-up.

Warwickshire v [Tyrone](/source/Tyrone_GAA)

9 June 2018 Semi-final Warwickshire 1-25 - 1-14 Tyrone Dowdallshill Report

[Donegal](/source/Donegal_GAA) v [Monaghan](/source/Monaghan_GAA)

9 June 2018 Semi-final Donegal 4-22 - 1-10 Monaghan Owenbeg Report

### Final

The semi-final winners met in the Nicky Rackard Cup final at Croke Park with the winners being promoted to the Christy Ring Cup for 2019.

23 June 2018

Final

Warwickshire 0-18 - 2-19 Donegal Niall McKenna 0-12 (8fs), Shane Caulfield 0-2, Paul Hoban 0-1 (’65), Niall Kennedy 0-1, Conor Robbins 0-1, Domhnall Nugent 0-1 (1f) Report Declan Coulter 1-9 (2fs, 1 ’65), Gerry Gilmore 0-5 (3 sidelines), Gavin Brown 1-0, Davin Flynn 0-2, Bernard Lafferty 0-2, Ciaran Mathewson 0-1.

[Croke Park](/source/Croke_Park), [Dublin](/source/Dublin)

Referee: Gearoid McGrath (Wexford)

## Relegation playoff

The bottom teams in each group - the fourth placed team in group 1 and the third placed team in group 2 - meet in a relegation playoff. The winners remain in the Nicky Rackard Cup for 2019, while the losers are relegated to the 2019 Lory Meagher Cup.

9 June 2018

Relegation final

Louth 2-22 - 2-10 Leitrim

- **[Leitrim](/source/Leitrim_GAA)** are relegated to the 2019 Lory Meagher Cup. **[Louth](/source/Louth_GAA)** will remain in the 2019 Nicky Rackard Cup

## Stadia and locations

Main article: [List of Gaelic Athletic Association stadiums](/source/List_of_Gaelic_Athletic_Association_stadiums)

## Statistics

### Top scorers

#### Overall

Rank Player County Tally Total Matches Average 1 Davin Flynn Donegal 4-31 43 4 10.75 1 Declan Coulter Donegal 1-28 31 3 10.33 1 Joe O Brien Longford 2-24 30 3 10.00 3 Niall McKenna Warwickshire 0-23 23 3 7.66 4 Fergal Rafter Monaghan 0-22 22 3 7.33 5 Paddy Lynch Louth 0-20 20 3 6.66 6 Eamon Collins Monaghan 2-10 16 3 5.33 7 Clement Cunniffe Leitrim 1-11 14 2 7.00 Damian Casey Tyrone 1-11 14 2 7.00 9 Gerry Gilmore Donegal 1-11 14 4 3.5

#### Single game

Rank Player Club Tally Total Opposition 1 Davin Flynn Donegal 2-11 17 Monaghan 1 Davin Flynn Donegal 1-13 16 Leitrim 2 Declan Coulter Donegal 0-13 13 Tyrone 3 Joe O'Brien Longford 0-12 12 Warwickshire 4 Eamon Collins Monaghan 1-07 10 Longford Fergal Rafter Monaghan 0-10 10 Louth Paddy Lynch Louth 0-10 10 Monaghan 5 Joe O'Brien Longford 2-03 9 Monaghan Niall McKenna Warwickshire 0-09 9 Monaghan Joe O'Brien Longford 0-09 9 Louth Niall McKenna Warwickshire 0-09 9 Longford

## See also

- [2018 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship](/source/2018_All-Ireland_Senior_Hurling_Championship) (Tier 1)

- [2018 Leinster Senior Hurling Championship](/source/2018_Leinster_Senior_Hurling_Championship)

- [2018 Munster Senior Hurling Championship](/source/2018_Munster_Senior_Hurling_Championship)

- [2018 Joe McDonagh Cup](/source/2018_Joe_McDonagh_Cup) (Tier 2)

- [2018 Christy Ring Cup](/source/2018_Christy_Ring_Cup) (Tier 3)

- [2018 Lory Meagher Cup](/source/2018_Lory_Meagher_Cup) (Tier 5)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Hurling tiers - 1. All-Ireland (Liam MacCarthy Cup) 2. Joe McDonagh Cup 3. Christy Ring Cup 4. Nicky Rackard Cup 5. Lory Meagher Cup

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Archived copy"](https://web.archive.org/web/20180514142300/https://gaelicplayers.com/Portals/0/Special%20Congress%20%20Motions.pdf) (PDF). Archived from [the original](https://gaelicplayers.com/Portals/0/Special%20Congress%20%20Motions.pdf) (PDF) on 14 May 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2018.{{[cite web](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_web)}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_archived_copy_as_title))

v t e Nicky Rackard Cup 2026 participants Armagh Fermanagh Louth Mayo Sligo Tyrone Seasons 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 Finals 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 Liam MacCarthy Cup (Tier 1) Joe McDonagh Cup (Tier 2) Christy Ring Cup (Tier 3) Nicky Rackard Cup (Tier 4) Lory Meagher Cup (Tier 5)

v t e All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Qualifiers Quarter-finals Semi-finals Finals Goalscorers Referees Pre-1923 Seasons 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 Finals 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 z Beginning of Liam MacCarthy Seasons 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 Finals 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 80-minute experiment Seasons 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 Finals 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 Post-experiment Seasons 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 Finals 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 'Back-door' era Seasons 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 Finals 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 Associated competitions Leinster SHC Munster SHC Joe McDonagh Cup Connacht SHC (formerly) Ulster SHC (formerly) Christy Ring Cup (formerly) All-Ireland "B" (formerly) Minor Championship (final formerly held on same day) Statistics and awards Records History Hat-tricks Top scorers Celtic cross Trophy Hurler of the Year Player of the Month All Stars Winning captains Winning managers Winning players Winning teams Losing players

v t e 2018 GAA season « 2017 2019 » Football Championship Connacht SFC final Leinster SFC final Munster SFC final Ulster SFC final All-Ireland Series: Qualifiers Quarter-Finals Group Stage final League (NFL) Division 1 Division 2 Division 3 Division 4 Preseason competitions Dr McKenna Cup FBD League McGrath Cup O'Byrne Cup Other adult competitions Club Championship Sigerson Youth competitions Under-20 All-Ireland Connacht Leinster Munster Ulster Under-17 All-Ireland Connacht Leinster Munster Ulster County team seasons Donegal Down Hurling Championship Leinster SHC final Munster SHC final All-Ireland Series: Championship final Tiers 2 to 5 Joe McDonagh Cup final Christy Ring Cup final Nicky Rackard Cup final Lory Meagher Cup League (NHL) Division 1A Division 1B Division 2A Division 2B Division 3A Division 3B Preseason competitions Walsh Cup Kehoe Cup Munster Senior Hurling League Other adult competitions Club Championship Fitzgibbon Hurling/Shinty International Series Ulster SHC (cancelled) Youth competitions Under-21 All-Ireland Leinster Munster Under-17 All-Ireland Leinster Munster County team seasons Limerick Tipperary Football All Stars • Hurling All Stars

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