Derry Intermediate Hurling Championship
| Derry Intermediate Hurling Championship | |
|---|---|
| Irish | Craobhchomórtas Idirmhéanach Iomána Dhoire |
| Code | Hurling |
| Region |  Derry (GAA) |
| No. of teams | 8 |
| Title holders |  Swatragh (6th title) |
| Most titles | Swatragh (6) |
| Sponsors | Leadon Timber Frame |
| Official website | Derry GAA |
The Derry Intermediate Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Leadon Timber Frame Derry Intermediate Hurling Championship and abbreviated to the Derry IHC) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Derry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association for the second tier hurling teams in County Londonderry in Northern Ireland.
In its current format, the Derry Hurling Championship begins with a group stage. The eight participating teams play each other in a round-robin system. The first four teams proceed to a semi-final. The losers of the semi-finals proceed to the intermediate final at the Derry Centre of Excellenece which is in essence a match for place 3. The winner of the Derry Intermediate Hurling Championship qualifies for the subsequent Ulster Intermediate Club Championship.
Swatragh are the title holders after defeating Ballinascreen by 2-13 to 1-07 in the 2025 final.
Format
[edit]Group stage
[edit]The 8 teams in the Derry Hurling Championship are divided into two groups of four. Over the course of the group stage, each team plays once against the othersplay each other in the group, resulting in each team being guaranteed at least three games in the group, resulting in each team being guaranteed at least three 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.
Knockout stage
[edit]Senior final: The top two teams in each group contest the senior semi finals (nominally called the "Senior/Intermediate playoff").
Intermediate final: The losing senior semi-finalists contest the intermediate final.
Junior final: The 3rd and fourth placed teams contest a semi-final, for a place in the junior final.
Teams
[edit]Qualification
[edit]| County | Championship | Qualifying teams |
|---|---|---|
| Derry | Derry Senior Hurling Championship | Two semi-final losers |
2026 Teams
[edit]8 clubs are eligible to compete in the 2026 Derry Intermediate Hurling Championship:
| Team | Location | Colours | Position in 2025 | Championship titles | Last championship title |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Ballinascreen |
Draperstown | Maroon and white | Runners-up | 1 | 2023 |
| Banagher |
Feeny / Park | Maroon and white | Junior runners-up | 2 | 2021 |
| Eoghan Rua |
Coleraine | Maroon and green | Junior semi-final | 1 | 2022 |
 Kevin Lynch's |
Dungiven | White and black | Senior runners-up | 0 | — |
 Lavey |
Lavey | Orange and black | Junior champion | 1 | 2017 |
 Na Magha |
Derry | Green, white, and black | Junior semi-final | 0 | — |
| Slaughtneil |
Slaughtneil | Maroon and white | Senior champions | 0 | — |
| Swatragh |
Swatragh | Green and white | Champion | 4 | 2025 |
Qualification for subsequent competitions
[edit]The Derry Intermediate Championship winners qualify for the subsequent Ulster Intermediate Club Hurling Championship. A team can only progress to the Ulster series of games in their respective grade if they retain their championship status from the previous season, or if they drop one grade.[1]
List of finals
[edit]Legend
[edit]- Gold – Ulster intermediate club champions
- Silver – Ulster intermediate club runners-up
List of Derry IHC finals from 2017 onwards
[edit]| Year | Winners | Runners-up | Venue | # | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Score | Club | Score | |||
| 2025 | Swatragh | 2-13 | Ballinascreen | 1-07 | Derry Centre of Excellence | |
| 2024 | Swatragh | 2-10 | Kevin Lynch's | 0-11 | Derry Centre of Excellence | |
| 2023 | Ballinascreen | 3-16 | Eoghan Rua | 0-05 | Derry Centre of Excellence | [2] |
| 2022 | Eoghan Rua | 3-09 | Ballinascreen | 2-11 | Derry Centre of Excellence | [3] |
| 2021 | Banagher | 0-13 | Lavey | 0-11 | Derry Centre of Excellence | [4] |
| 2020 | Swatragh | 2-13 | Ballinascreen | 2-09 | Derry Centre of Excellence | [5] |
| 2019 | Banagher | 0-21 | Swatragh | 0-08 | Derry Centre of Excellence | [6] |
| 2018 | Swatragh | 0-17 | Ballinascreen | 2-16 | Derry Centre of Excellence | |
| 2017 | Lavey | 0-16 | Swatragh | 0-12 | Derry Centre of Excellence | |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "2023 Club Championship Group Stage". Derry GAA website. 6 July 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
- ↑ "Ballinascreen EMPHATIC at Owenbeg on their way to Intermediate title". Derry Now. 17 September 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
- ↑ "ULSTER IHC: 'Underdogs as usual' - Eoghan Rua prepare for Ulster trail". Derry Now. 3 November 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
- ↑ "Banagher edge out Lavey to claim Derry intermediate title". Derry Now. 14 November 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
- ↑ "Swatragh in control against Ballinascreen to claim another intermediate win". Derry Now. 12 September 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
- ↑ "Banagher bag Intermediate title after victory over Swatragh". Derry Journal. 29 September 2019. Retrieved 30 October 2023.