1988 Croke Cup
| Dates | 24 April - 8 May 1988 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | 3 | ||
| Champions | Jimmy Conroy (captain)  | ||
| Runners-up | John Dillon (captain)  | ||
| Tournament statistics | |||
| Matches played | 2 | ||
| Goals scored | 8 (4 per match) | ||
| Points scored | 29 (14.5 per match) | ||
| Top scorer(s) | |||
  | |||
The 1988 Croke Cup was the 37th staging of the Croke Cup since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1944. The competition ran from 24 April to 8 May 1988.
St Flannan's College were the defending champions, however, they were beaten by Midleton CBS in the Harty Cup semi-final.[1][2]
The final was played on 8 May 1988 at Walsh Park in Waterford, between St Kieran's College and Midleton CBS, in what was their first ever meeting in the final.[3] St Kieran's College won the match by 3–10 to 2–07 to claim their eighth Croke Cup title overall and a first title in 13 years.[4][5]
Qualification
| Province | Champions | 
|---|---|
| Connacht | St Mary's College | 
| Leinster | St Kieran's College | 
| Munster | Midleton CBS | 
Results
Semi-final
| 24 April 1988 Semi-final | St Kieran's College | 3-08 - 0-04 | St Mary's College | Portumna Grounds | 
| A Ronan 1-5, DJ Carey 1-1, S Lawlor 1-0, T Shefflin 0-2. | L Turley 0-2, P Coyne 0-1, B Cloherty 0-1. | 
Final
| 8 May 1988 Final | St Kieran's College | 3-10 - 2-07 | Midleton CBS | Walsh Park | 
| A Ronan 1-3, P Brennan 1-1, E Teehan 1-0, DJ Carey 0-2, D Bradley 0-1, B Ryan 0-1, P O'Neill 0-1, T Shefflin 0-1. | D Quirke 1-2, P O'Brien 1-1, J Dillon 0-3, C Regan 0-1. | Referee: J Moore (Waterford) | 
Statistics
Top scorers
- Overall
 
| Rank | Player | County | Tally | Total | Matches | Average | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adrian Ronan | St Kieran's College | 2-08 | 14 | 2 | 7.00 | 
| 2 | D. J. Carey | St Kieran's College | 1-03 | 6 | 2 | 3.00 | 
| 3 | David Quirke | Midleton CBS | 1-02 | 5 | 1 | 5.00 | 
References
- ^ "The Christy O'Connor column: 'Corkness' needs the swagger of the best city hurlers". Echo Live. 23 January 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
 - ^ Daly, Anthony (27 July 2019). "Mind the gap - the dangerous leap from provincial champions to All-Ireland contenders". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
 - ^ "Pres Athenry Defeats Kilkenny CBS In Croke Cup Hurling Semi-Final". Galway Bay FM. 19 March 2018. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
 - ^ "All-Ireland Senior Colleges Title 1988". St Kieran's College website. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
 - ^ "A season to cherish for Midleton CBS and Paudie O'Brien". Echo Live. 28 April 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2023.