Cork Hurling Championship permutations as the group phase draws to a close

Billy Hennessy, St. Finbarrs, Conor O'Brien, Blackrock, Robbie O'Flynn, Erins Own and Tim O'Mahony, Newtownshandrum.Picture: Jim Coughlan.

After two rounds of jostling for position and attempting to edge oneself as close as possible to a knockout berth, the group phase of the Cork hurling championships will conclude in typical number-crunching fashion this weekend.

Thirty games to see 30 teams forage on and 30 more fall off. Up for grabs across the five tiers - Premier Senior, Senior A, Premier Intermediate, Intermediate A, and Premier Junior - are 21 quarter-final places and nine semi-final spots.