The Leinster Junior Championships for 2023 begin tomorrow in Stillorgan. Best of luck to all participants!
The competition started in 1942, with only a single section, and limited to boys. The Leinster Schoolboys’ Championship quickly became the Leinster Senior Schoolboys’ Championship, later the Leinster Schools’ Championship, and finally the Leinster U19 Championship.
An incomplete list of winners (of the top section) is available on the Tournament Series page here. (Many thanks to David McAlister, who provided several winners I had missed.) The list covers 63 out of the 80 possible championships (there was no championship in 2021; it’s not clear if a championship was held in every other year from 1942 to 2022 inclusive).
For some years, the results of the championship event are available, but the destination of the title is unknown. For example, in 1972 Bernard Kernan and Robert Pye tied, and a playoff match was planned, but no reports seem to be available on the final outcome. (Was the title shared?) Similarly, in 2018 Jacob Flynn and Alice O’Gorman tied, but reports do not make clear how the title was decided.
I assume the trophy will be available at the competition this week. If anyone reading this is there, and can check the trophy for the missing winners, I’d be very grateful for the information.
Robert Pye and Bernard Kernan played a two-game match to decide the title. BK won the first game and RP the second. The title was shared. – Robert Pye, 9 January 2023.