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Newtownshandrum GAA
Newtownshandrum GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in the small village of Newtownshandrum in County Cork, Ireland. The club, situated in half a parish of about 800 people, was founded in 1896 and is almost exclusively concerned with the game of hurling. In senior hurling, Newtownshandrum compete annually in the Cork Senior Club Hurling Championship, which they have won four times as of 2009. The club, one of the few senior teams from the Avondhu division in the northern part of the county, also competes in various other championships in all grades within Cork. HistoryFormationThe oldest piece of evidence which shows the existence of hurling in Newtownshandrum comes in the form of a medal inscribed 'Newtown Hurling Club 1896'. An old ballad is the first record of a Newtownshandrum hurling game played in nearby Milford. In spite of having a population of little more than 800 people, Newtownshandrum has become one of the most successful hurling clubs in Cork over the last decade,[when?] winning senior honours at Cork, Munster and All-Ireland levels.[citation needed] 2000: the big breakthrough Four years after graduating from the intermediate grade, Newtownshandrum reached the championship decider in the senior grade of Cork hurling. In the final, former champions Erin's Own provided the opposition. Newtownshandrum triumphed on their first attempt in a county final, albeit in controversial circumstances as a late Erin's Own goal was disallowed.[citation needed] A 0–14 to 0–11 victory gave Newtownshandrum a county championship title in the senior grade. Despite the county final victory, Newtownshandrum failed to make any impact in the subsequent Munster Senior Club Hurling Championship.[citation needed] 2002: county final defeat After surrendering their county title in 2001, Newtownshandrum came back the following year to qualify for a chance to claim a second county title in three years.[citation needed] The task ahead of the club was immense as Blackrock, the reigning champions, were the opponents on this occasion.[tone] Blackrock won the game by 1–14 to 0–12.[citation needed] 2003-04: All-Ireland champions In 2003, Newtownshandrum continued their dominance[tone] of the county club championship; however, they had yet to claim a second county title. The county final that year was a repeat of the 2002 decider when Newtown faced Blackrock once again. On the day, Newtownshandrum ran away with the victory. A 0–17 to 0–9 win cemented Newtown's gave them a second county title.[citation needed] This victory allowed Newtown to represent Cork in the provincial club championship, with the tiny club even reaching the final. Patrickswell of Limerick provided the opposition on that occasion, with Newtown claiming a 2–18 to 2–9 victory. It was the Newtownshandrum's first Munster club title.[1] The 2004 club championship season culminated on St. Patrick's Day with an All-Ireland club final appearance. Perennial runners-up Dunloy provided the opposition. After a quiet outing in the Munster final Ciaran Herlihy made amends by scoring ten points of Newtown's tally of 0–17 and single-handedly beat the Antirm men who only recorded 1–6. It was yet another historic day[tone] for the north Cork parish as the ultimate prize of an All-Ireland club title was annexed.[2] 2005-06: All-Ireland runner-up After surrendering their county title at the semi-final stage in 2004, Newtownshandrum were back in the championship decider again in 2005. Cloyne provided the opposition on that occasion. The north Cork men,[who?] however, recorded a 0–15 to 0–9 victory over the east Cork side, giving the club a third county championship title of the decade.[3] Once again, the club went on to the provincial competition and lined out against Ballygunner. Newtown defeated the Waterford champions by 0–16 to 1–12 and Newtown won its second Munster club winners' medal.[4] A second All-Ireland club final appearance beckoned with Portumna standing in the way of a second All-Ireland club medal.[tone] Newtown, however, were defeated by 2–8 to 1–6.[5] 2007: county final defeat again In 2007, Newtownshandrum qualified for their fifth county championship final of the decade. Reigning champions Erin's Own provided the opposition and defended their title with a 1–11 to 0–7 victory over the previous year's All-Ireland runners-up.[6] 2009: the Cork team of the decade At the start of the 2009 county championship, few pundits gave Newtownshandrum a chance of claiming back the Seán Óg Murphy Cup.[citation needed] After some convincing victories, the north Cork club reached their sixth county final of the decade. In the final, the reigning champions Sarsfield's attempted to retain their title for a second year in succession. The final score of 3–22 to 1–12 was a surprise as the 10,000 spectators at Páirc Uí Chaoimh saw the tiny club battle back to the big-time.[tone][7] Newtownshandrum's fourth county championship triumph from six county final appearances inside ten years cemented their reputation as the "Cork team of the decade".[8] Honours
All-Ireland winning team 2003-04
Notable players
References
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