The Antrim Senior Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Bathshack.com Antrim Senior Hurling Championship and abbreviated to the Antrim SHC) is an annual club hurling competition organised by the Antrim County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. It is contested by the top-ranking senior clubs in the county of Antrim, Northern Ireland, with the winners decided through a group and knockout format. It is the most prestigious competition in Antrim hurling.
In its present format, the eight teams are drawn into two groups of four teams and play each other in a single round-robin system. The two group winners proceed to the knockout phase that culminates with the final. The winner of the Antrim Senior Championship, as well as being presented with the Volunteer Cup, qualifies for the subsequent Ulster Club Championship.
The competition has been won by 19 teams, 15 of which have won it more than once. Loughgiel Shamrocks is the most successful team in the tournament's history, having won it 20 times. RuairÍ Óg, Cushendall are the reigning champions, having beaten Cúchulains Dunloy by 1-16 to 2–12 in the 2024 final.[1]
Commonly the final takes place at Antrim's county stadium, Casement Park. However, on account of the ground's ongoing redevelopment the 2013 and 2014 finals were held at Páirc Mac Uílín in Ballycastle. The 2015 final was held at Dunloy's Pearse Park, due to McQuillan Ballycastle's appearance in the decider.
Format
Group stage
The 8 teams are divided into two groups of four. Over the course of the group stage, each team plays once against the others in the group, resulting in each team being guaranteed at least three group games. Two points are awarded for a win, one for a draw and zero for a loss. The teams are ranked in the group stage table by points gained, then scoring difference and then their head-to-head record. The top three teams in each group qualify for the knock-out stage.
Knockout stage
Following the completion of the group stage, the top two teams from each group receive byes to separate semi-finals.
Quarter-finals: Teams that finished 2nd and 3rd in the group stage contest this round. The two 2nd placed teams play the 3rd placed teams from the opposite group. The two winners from these two games advance to the semi-finals.
Semi-finals: The two quarter-final winners and the two group winners contest this round. The two winners from these two games advance to the final.
Final: The two semi-final winners contest the final. The winning team are declared champions.
Relegation
At the end of the championship, two 4th-placed teams from the group stage take play-off, with the losing team being relegated to the Antrim Intermediate Hurling Championship.
^"Hurlers of Ruairí Óg's, St Gall's and Castleblayney Faughs advance to All-Ireland series after Ulster finals". The Irish News. The Irish News Ltd. 11 November 2018. Retrieved 11 November 2018. St Gall's became Ulster Intermediate Hurling champions for the second time with this seven-point win over Armagh side Keady Lámh Dhearg. The Belfast side celebrated their first provincial intermediate success for the first time since 2009, when they went on to reach the All-Ireland final the following spring.
