The Offaly Senior B Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Molloy Environmental Systems Offaly Senior B Hurling Championship and abbreviated to the Offaly SBHC) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Offaly County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association from 2018 for the second tier senior hurling teams in the county of Offaly in Ireland.
In its current format, the Offaly Senior B Hurling Championship begins with a group stage. The six participating teams play each other in a round-robin system. The four top-ranking teams proceed to the knockout phase that culminates with the final match at Glenisk O'Connor Park. The winner of the Offaly Senior B Championship qualifies for the subsequent Leinster Intermediate Club Championship.
A review of Offaly's hurling structures in 2017 proposed that the Offaly SHC and Offaly IHC be reduced from 12 to eight teams. This resulted in the creation of a new eight-team Offaly Senior B Hurling Championship. The inaugural championship in 2018 featured four regraded teams from the 2017 Offaly SHC: Clodiagh Gaels, Lusmagh, Shamrocks and Tullamore. The remaining four teams were the 2017 Offaly IHC semi-finalists: Ballinamere, Brosna Gaels, Carrig-Riverstown and Drumcullen.[2]
The very first match in the inaugural championship took place on 1 April 2018, with Tullamore beating Clodiagh Gaels by 3–17 to 2–11. Ballinamere won the inaugural championship after beating Shamrocks in the final. Brosna Gaels were the first team to suffer relegation after losing a playoff to Carrig-Riverstown.[3]
Format
Group stage
Six clubs start in the group stage. Over the course of the group stage, each team plays once against the others in the group, resulting in each team being guaranteed five 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 four teams qualify for the knockout stage
Knockout stage
Semi-finals: The top four teams from the group stage 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.
