Tommy Murphy (hurler)

Thomas Murphy (born 1943) is an Irish retired hurler. He played for his local club Rower-Inistioge and was a member of the Kilkenny senior inter-county team from 1963 until 1969.^[1]

Playing career[]

Rower-Inistioge[]

Murphy began his hurling career at club level with Rower-Inistioge. After coming to prominence as an 11-year-old member of the club's successful under-14 team, he progressed through the juvenile and underage ranks before eventually joining the club's senior team. The high point of Murphy's club career occurred on 27 April 1969 when he claimed a Kilkenny Senior Championship title after a 3-09 to 3-07 defeat of Bennettsbridge in the 1968 final.^[2]

Kilkenny[]

Minor and intermediate[]

Murphy first played for Kilkenny as a 16-year-old when he was drafted onto the minor team for the 1960 Leinster Championship. He won a Leinster Minor Championship medal in his debut year after the 6-14 to 5-05 win over Wexford. Murphy later won an All-Ireland medal after scoring a hat-trick of goals in the 7-12 to 1-11 final defeat of Tipperary.

After missing the following year's minor championship due to his priesthood studies, Murphy was drafted onto the Kilkenny intermediate team for the 1963 Leinster Championship.

Senior[]

Murphy's performance in the intermediate grade drew the attention of the senior selectors and he was one of a number of players promoted to the Kilkenny senior team prior to the start of the 1963 Leinster Championship. He made his first appearance in the senior ranks on 7 July 1963 when he scored a goal in a 4-09 to 3-08 defeat of Wexford. Murphy subsequently lined out in his first Leinster final and claimed his first winners' medal after the 2-10 to 0-09 defeat of Dublin. On 1 September 1963, he was selected at left corner-forward against Waterford in an All-Ireland final. He scored 2-01 from play and claimed his first All-Ireland medal after the 4-17 to 6-08 victory.^[3]

After collecting a second consecutive provincial title after the 4-11 to 1-08 defeat of Dublin in the 1964 Leinster final, Murphy lined out in a second consecutive All-Ireland final on 6 September 1964. In spite of being regarded as the favourites, Kilkenny ended the game as runners-up after a 5-13 to 2-08 defeat by Tipperary.^[4]

Murphy claimed his third provincial winners' medal as a substitute after a 1-15 to 2-06 defeat of Wexford in the 1966 Leinster final. On 4 September 1966, he again started the game on the bench when Kilkenny faced Cork in the All-Ireland final. Murphy was introduced as a substitute for Pa Dillon at full-forward but ended on the losing side after a 3-09 to 1-10 defeat.^[5][6]

Murphy's priesthood studies impacted on his hurling career on a number of occasions over the following years, however, he claimed his fourth provincial winners' medal after lining out as a substitute in the 3-09 to 0-16 defeat of Offaly in the final.^[7] On 7 September 1969, Murphy was again included amongst the substitutes when he claimed his second All-Ireland winners' medal after the 2-15 to 2-09 victory over Cork.^[8] It was his last major game with the Kilkenny senior team.

References[]