Leinster Senior Hurling Championship
| Leinster Senior Hurling Championship | |
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Current season or competition: 2016 Leinster Senior Hurling Championship
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| Irish | Craobh Iomána Laighin |
| Founded | 1888 |
| Region | Leinster (GAA) |
| Trophy | Bob O'Keeffe Cup |
| No. of teams | 9 |
| Title holders |
 Kilkenny (71st title) |
| Most titles |
Kilkenny (71 titles) |
| Sponsors | Littlewoods Ireland, Etihad Airways, Centra |
| TV partner(s) | RTÉ, Sky Sports |
| Motto | Nothing beats being there |
| Official website | Official website |
The Leinster GAA Hurling Senior Championship, known simply as the Leinster Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is one of the most prestigious hurling tournaments in Ireland and the most prestigious inter-county hurling competition in the province of Leinster. The championship has been awarded every year since 1888.
The final, usually held on the first Sunday in July, serves as the culmination of a series of games played during the early summer months, and the results determine which county's team receives the Bob O'Keeffe Cup. Originally played on a straight knockout basis, in the current format the four weaker teams play in an initial qualifier group. The top two teams in the qualifier group and the seeded teams complete the championship on a straight knockout basis whereby once a team loses they are eliminated.
The Leinster Championship is an integral part of the wider GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship. The winners of the Leinster final, like their counterparts in the Munster Championship, are rewarded by advancing directly to the semi-final stage of the All-Ireland series of games. The losers of the Leinster final enter the All-Ireland series at the quarter-final stage.
Nine teams currently participate in the Leinster Championship, including Galway from Connacht and Kerry from Munster. The most successful team in hurling, namely Kilkenny, play their provincial hurling in the Leinster Championship. They have won the provincial title on 71 occasions during their history while also claiming 36 All-Ireland titles; both of these are all-time records.
The title has been won at least once by six counties, all but one of which (Galway) have won the title more than once. Kilkenny are the current champions.
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Wikipedia