We’re not just getting great games in the championship but great results too

For a championship game to be vintage, it cannot leave the neutral indifferent, says Kieran Shannon.

Though our own county may not be involved, we have to be rooting for one crowd to win and the other lot to lose. The latter is nothing personal; in fact, in many ways it’s a form of flattery. You’ve won enough of these kind of games; it’d be nice to see this other crowd win one for a change.

It also helps if the game is a spectacle and not just a contest. Where we’re treated to our fair share of scores as well as a generous number of big hits, where we can applaud and cherish a moment of magic from a player we hope still ends up on the losing team.