# 2010 Christy Ring Cup

The 2010 Christy Ring Cup was the sixth edition of the Christy Ring Cup since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 2005 as the second-tier of hurling for senior county teams, with the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship (SHC) as the first-tier of the system. It was contested by eight county teams.
Carlow were the reigning champions; however, they did not get the chance to defend their title due to their promotion to the All-Ireland SHC.
The 2010 Christy Ring Cup final was held at Croke Park, Dublin.
Westmeath defeated Kerry by a point.

## Team changes
### To Championship

Relegated from the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
* None
Promoted from the Nicky Rackard Cup
* Meath

### From Championship

Promoted to the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
* Carlow
Relegated to the Nicky Rackard Cup
* None

## Teams
### General Information

| County | Last Cup title | Last Provincial title | Last All-Ireland title | Position in 2009 Championship | Appearance |
| Derry | — | 2001 | — | Quarter-finals | 5th |
| Down | — | 1997 | — | Runners-up | 6th |
| Kerry | — | 1891 | 1891 | Semi-finals | 6th |
| Kildare | — | — | — | Quarter-finals | 6th |
| Mayo | — | 1909 | — | Semi-finals | 6th |
| Meath | — | — | — | Champions (Nicky Rackard Cup) | 5th |
| Westmeath | 2007 | — | — | Round 2 | 5th |
| Wicklow | — | — | — | Round 2 | 6th |

### Personnel and kits

| County | Manager | Captain(s) | Sponsor |
| Derry | Ladbrokes | Liam Hinphey | James O'Kane |
| Down | Canal Court Hotel | — | Gerard Monan |
| Kerry | Kerry Group | Colin Harris | John Meyler |
| Kildare | Tegral | Tony Murphy | Andy Comerford |
| Mayo | Elverys | Conor Ryan | Martin Brennan |
| Meath | Comer Group | Michael Foley | Paul Reilly |
| Westmeath | Hilamar Hotel | Aaron Craig | Kevin Martin |
| Wicklow | Cosgrave Builders | — | Casey O'Brien |

## Format

The tournament has a double elimination format - each team will play at least two games before being knocked out.
* The eight teams play four Round 1 matches.
** The winners in Round 1 advance to Round 2A.
** The losers in Round 1 go into Round 2B.
* There are two Round 2A matches.
** The winners in Round 2A advance to the semi-finals.
** The losers in Round 2A go into the quarter-finals.
* There are two Round 2B matches.
** The winners in Round 2B advance to the quarter-finals.
** The losers in Round 2B go into the relegation playoff.
*** The losers of the relegation playoff are relegated to the Nicky Rackard Cup for 2011.
* There are two quarter-final matches between the Round 2A losers and Round 2B winners.
** The winners of the quarter-finals advance to the semi-finals.
** The losers of the quarter-finals are eliminated.
* There are two semi-final matches between the Round 2A winners and the quarter-final winners.
** The winners of the semi-finals advance to the final.
** The losers of the semi-finals are eliminated.
* The winners of the final win the Christy Ring Cup for 2010 and are promoted to the Liam MacCarthy Cup 2011.

### Calendar

| Round | Date |
| Round 1 | Saturday 8 May 2010 |
| Round 2A | Saturday 15 May 2010 |
| Round 2B | Saturday 15 May 2010 |
| Quarter-finals | Saturday 22 May 2010 |
| Semi-finals | Saturday 5 June 2010 |
| Final | Saturday 3 July 2010 |

## Bracket

| Round 1 Round 2B | Round 1 Round 2B | Round 1 Round 2B | Round 2A Quarter-finals | Round 2A Quarter-finals | Round 2A Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final | Final |
| Kildare | Kildare | 2-18 | | | | | | | | | |
| Meath | Meath | 1-10 | Kildare | Kildare | 1-19 | | | | | | |
| Wicklow | Wicklow | 1-19 | Wicklow | Wicklow | 1-16 | | | | | | |
| Mayo | Mayo | 2-12 | | | | Kildare | Kildare | 0-18 | | | |
| | | | | | | Westmeath | Westmeath | 3-19 | | | |
| | | | Westmeath | Westmeath | 2-21 | | | | | | |
| Mayo | Mayo | 2-12 | Down | Down | 1-18 | | | | | | |
| Down | Down | 3-19 | | | | | | | Westmeath | Westmeath | 2-16 |
| Derry | Derry | 0-15 | | | | | | | Kerry | Kerry | 1-18 |
| Meath | Meath | 2-16 | Meath | Meath | 1-18 | | | |
| | | | Wicklow | Wicklow | 3-13 | | | |
| | | | | | | Wicklow | Wicklow | 2-14 | Relegation Playoff | Relegation Playoff | Relegation Playoff |
| Down | Down | 1-19 | | | | Kerry | Kerry | 2-17 |
| Kerry | Kerry | 0-27 | Kerry | Kerry | 3-14 | | | | Derry | Derry | |
| Westmeath | Westmeath | 5-15 | Westmeath | Westmeath | 2-11 | | | | Mayo | Mayo | |
| Derry | Derry | 3-16 | | | | | | | | | |

## Championship statistics
### Top scorers
#### Overall

| Rank | Player | County | Tally | Total | Matches | Average |
| 1 | Darragh O'Connell | Kerry | 1-38 | 41 | 4 | 10.25 |
| 2 | Jonathan O'Neill | Wicklow | 2-32 | 38 | 4 | 9.50 |
| 3 | Brendan Murtagh | Westmeath | 3-27 | 36 | 5 | 7.20 |
| 4 | James Coyle | Down | 1-26 | 29 | 3 | 9.66 |

#### Single game

| Rank | Player | County | Tally | Total | Opposition |
| 1 | James Coyle | Down | 1-12 | 15 | Mayo |
| 2 | Darragh O'Connell | Kerry | 1-9 | 12 | Westmeath |
| 2 | Jonathan O'Neill | Wicklow | 0-12 | 12 | Mayo |
| 4 | Darragh O'Connell | Kerry | 0-11 | 11 | Down |
| 5 | Brendan Murtagh | Westmeath | 2-4 | 10 | Derry |
| 5 | Darragh O'Connell | Kerry | 0-10 | 10 | Wicklow |
| 7 | Ruairí Convery | Derry | 0-9 | 9 | Westmeath |
| 7 | Jonathan O'Neill | Wicklow | 0-9 | 9 | Kildare |
| 7 | Martin Fitzgerald | Kildare | 0-9 | 9 | Westmeath |
| 10 | Andy O'Brien | Wicklow | 2-2 | 8 | Kerry |
| 10 | Brendan Murtagh | Westmeath | 1-5 | 8 | Kildare |
| 10 | David Harney | Kildare | 1-5 | 8 | Wicklow |
| 10 | Neil Hackett | Meath | 0-8 | 8 | Derry |
| 10 | Brendan Murtagh | Westmeath | 0-8 | 8 | Down |
| 10 | Paul Braniff | Down | 0-8 | 8 | Westmeath |
| 10 | Darragh O'Connell | Kerry | 0-8 | 8 | Westmeath |

### Scoring events

* Widest winning margin: 11 points
** Kildare 2-18 - 1-10 Meath (Round 1)
* Most goals in a match: 8
** Westmeath 5-15 - 3-16 Derry (Round 1)
* Most points in a match: 46
** Down 1-19 - 0-27 Kerry (Round 1)
* Most goals by one team in a match: 5
** Westmeath 5-15 - 3-16 Derry (Round 1)
* Most goals scored by a losing team: 3
** Derry 3-16 - 5-15 Westmeath (Round 1)
* Most points scored by a losing team: 19
** Down 1-19 - 0-27 Kerry (Round 1)