Timothy Crowley (born 14 May 1952) is an Irish former hurler. At club level he played with Newcestown and divisional side Carbery and was also a member of the Cork senior hurling team.[1]

Tim Crowley
Personal information
Irish name Tadhg Ó Crualaoi
Sport Hurling
Position Centre-forward
Born (1952-05-14) 14 May 1952 (age 71)
Newcestown, County Cork, Ireland
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Nickname Big Timmy
Occupation Retired managing director
Club(s)
Years Club Apps (scores)
1969-1989
1970-1985
Newcestown
Carbery

20 (7-24)
Club titles
Cork titles 0
Inter-county(ies)*
Years County Apps (scores)
1973–1985
Cork 29 (2-23)
Inter-county titles
Munster titles 7
All-Irelands 3
NHL 2
All Stars 1
*Inter County team apps and scores correct as of 22:09, 4 December 2013.

Early life edit

Born and raised in Newcestown, County Cork, Crowley first played as a schoolboy in various local competitions before later lining out as a student at St Finbarr's College in Cork. His brother, Paddy Crowley, had been a member of the first St Finbarr's team to win the All-Ireland title in 1963, with Crowley himself claiming Harty Cup and All-Ireland titles in 1969.[2][3][4][5]

Club career edit

Crowley began his club career as a dual player at juvenile and underage levels with Newcestown. He was still eligible for the minor grade when he progressed onto the club's adult teams and won a South West JHC title in his debut season in 1969. Crowley also enjoyed club success as a Gaelic footballer when he was part of the Newcestown team that beat St. Finbarr's to win the Cork IFC title in 1971.[6]

After winning a second divisional title in 1972, Crowley subsequently claimed a Cork JHC title after a defeat of Kildorrery in the final.[7] He won two more divisional titles as the decade went on, while also lining out for the Carbery divisional team in the Cork SHC, before winning a second Cork JHC title after a defeat of Kilworth in the 1980 final.[8] Crowley was part of both the Newcestown junior teams that completed a divisional double in 1988. He brought an end to his 20-year club career in 1989.

Inter-county career edit

Crowley's performances as a schoolboy with St. Finbarr's College earned a call-up to the Cork minor hurling team for the 1969 Munster MHC. After securing the provincial title, he lined out at centre-forward for the defeat of Kilkenny in the 1969 All-Ireland minor final.[9] Crowley was again eligible for the minor team the following year and won a second All-Ireland medal after beating Galway in the 1970 All-Ireland minor final.[10]

After Gaelic football success at club level, he was drafted onto the Cork junior football team and was an unused substitute when the team beat Hertfordshire to win the 1972 All-Ireland junior final.[11] In spite of this success, Crowley was overlooked by the Cork under-21 football team selectors but was at midfield on the Cork under-21 hurling team that beat Wexford in the 1973 All-Ireland under-21 final.[12]

Crowley's performances with the under-21 team earned a call-up to the senior team for the 1973-74 National League. After appearing in Cork's first two group games he was later dropped from the panel before making a return during the 1976-77 National League. A broken ankle for Pat Moylan resulted in Crowley securing a place on the Cork team for their 1977 Munster SHC-winning campaign.[13][14] After initially lining out at centre-forward, he spent the latter stages of the championship at millfield and it was in that position that he lined out in the 1-17 to 3-08 defeat of Wexford in the 1977 All-Ireland final.[15]

Crowley won a second successive Munster SHC title in 1978 before claiming a second successive All-Ireland medal from left wing-forward in the 1-15 to 2-08 All-Ireland final defeat of Kilkenny.[16] He brought his own personal tally of Munster medals to three in 1979, however, Cork later missed out on winning a fourth successive All-Ireland title.[17] In spite of a lack of championship success over the following few seasons, Crowley went on to claim consecutive National League titles with the team in 1980 and 1981. He lined out in successive All-Ireland final defeats by Kilkenny in 1982 and 1983, with his performances in the former season earning him an All-Star award.[18]

Cork qualified for a third successive All-Ireland final in 1984, with Crowley lining out at centre-forward in the 3-16 to 1-12 defeat of Offaly.[19] He won a seventh and final provincial winners' medal in 1985, however, his inter-county career ended after a defeat by Galway in the subsequent All-Ireland semi-final.[20]

Honours edit

St. Finbarr's College
Newcestown
Cork
Munster

References edit

  1. ^ "Tim Crowley". Hogan Stand website. 21 October 1994. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  2. ^ "50 years on and still central to Cork club hurling - 'There's a brilliant attitude among these fellas'". The 42. 26 September 2020. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  3. ^ "Jim Forbes – a man I knew quite well". The Southern Star. 18 July 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  4. ^ "Christy Ring went down on one knee at half-time and said, 'Lads, ye have them'". Irish Examiner. 16 February 2019. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  5. ^ "Cork says farewell to the mighty Canon". Irish Examiner. 17 November 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  6. ^ "Newcestown show why you don't stop believing". The Southern Star. 30 September 2019. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  7. ^ "1972 GAA PART 2: Bantry and Bandon provided the thrills in West Cork in '72". The Southern Star. 17 February 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  8. ^ "History of Kilworth hurling". Kilworth GAA website. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  9. ^ "Cork minor hurling teams: 1928-1969" (PDF). Cork GAA website. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  10. ^ "Cork minor hurling teams: 1970-2010" (PDF). Cork GAA website. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  11. ^ "Cork junior football teams: 1910-1972" (PDF). Cork GAA website. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  12. ^ "Under-21 hurling". Munster GAA website. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  13. ^ "Where are they now?". Irish Independent. 25 May 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  14. ^ "Why a few legends can go a long way". Irish Examiner. 30 August 2006. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  15. ^ "Cork don't necessarily need to find Tim O'Mahony's 'best' position". Echo Live. 26 May 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  16. ^ "Echo 130: Seven of the greatest Cork hurling wins as seen through the eyes of The Echo". Echo Live. 15 June 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  17. ^ "'We lost that 1979 semi-final against Galway going up on the train...'". Echo Live. 25 April 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  18. ^ "Hurling All Stars". RTÉ Sport. 21 May 2007. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  19. ^ "Talented Corbett given GAA Sports Star award". The Corkman. 8 February 2020. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  20. ^ "Tony Keady 'made everyone feel like he was their best friend'". Irish Examiner. 11 August 2017. Retrieved 19 July 2022.