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Kevin Downes (hurler)
Kevin Downes (born 14 October 1991) is an Irish hurler who plays for Limerick Senior Championship club Na Piarsaigh and at inter-county level with the Limerick senior hurling team. He usually lines out as a full-forward. Playing careerArdscoil RísDownes first came to prominence as a hurler with Ardscoil Rís in Limerick. Having played in every grade as a hurler, he was full-forward on the college's senior hurling team. On 11 March 2010, Downes scored 1-02 from play when Ardscoil Rís defeated Thurles CBS in the final of the Harty Cup.[1] On 3 April, he was switched to left wing-forward for the All-Ireland final against St. Kieran's College. Downes was held scoreless in the 2-11 to 2-08 defeat.[2] NUI GalwayDuring his studies at NUI Galway, Downes was selected for the college's senior hurling team.[3] He was a regular member of the starting fifteen during the Fitzgibbon Cup and also served as chairman of the club.[citation needed] Na PiarsaighDownes joined the Na Piarsaigh club at a young age and played in all grades at juvenile and underage levels, enjoying championship success in the under-21 grades as a dual player before eventually joining the club's top adult teams. On 2 October 2011, Downes scored 1-01 from full-forward in Na Piarsaigh's 2-18 to 0-13 defeat of Adare to win their very first Limerick Championship title.[4] On 4 December 2012, he won a Munster Championship medal following a 1-13 to 0-09 defeat of Crusheen in the final.[5] After surrendering their titles the following year, Downes won a second Limerick Championship medal after lining out at centre-forward when Na Piarsaigh defeated Adare by 0-14 to 0-12 on 6 October 2013.[6] He was retained at centre-forward for the subsequent Munster Championship, which culminated on 24 November 2014 with him winning a second provincial medal after scoring a goal in the 4-14 to 0-08 defeat of Sixmilebridge in the final.[7] Downes won a third Limerick Championship medal on 11 October 2015 after a 1-22 to 4-12 defeat of Patrickswell in the final. He top scored with 1-05 and ended the game as man of the match.[8] Downes missed Na Piarsaigh's subsequent Munster Championship final defeat of Ballygunner due to a concussion.[9] On 17 March 2016, he won an All-Ireland Championship medal after scoring 1-02 in Na Piarsaigh's 2-25 to 2-14 defeat of Ruairí Óg in the final.[10] On 15 October 2017, Downes won a fourth Limerick Championship medal when Na Piarsaigh defeated Kilmallock by 1-22 to 2-14 in the final.[11] He won a third Munster Championship medal on 19 November when Na Piarsaigh defeated Ballygunner by 3-15 to 2-10 in the final.[12] On 17 March 2018, Downes was named at full-forward by played much of the match at left corner-forward when Na Piarsaigh suffered a 2-17 to 1-17 defeat by Cuala in the All-Ireland final.[13] On 27 October 2018, Downes won a fifth Limerick Championship medal following Na Piarsaigh's 2-22 to 3-10 defeat of Doon in the final.[14] LimerickMinor and under-21Downes first played for Limerick when he was selected for the minor team in advance of the 2008 Munster Championship.[15] He made his first appearance on 30 April when he scored seven points in a 3-21 to 1-12 defeat by Tipperary. Limerick's championship ended with a defeat by Cork in a play-ff, however, Downes ended the season as Limerick's top scorer. Downes was eligible for the minor grade again the following year. After a second consecutive defeat to Tipperary at the quarter-final stage, he played his last game for Limerick on 5 June 2009 in a 4-08 to 1-14 defeat by Waterford in a play-off. After progressing onto the Limerick under-21 team, he made his first appearance on 14 July 2010 when he came on as a substitute and scored two points in Limerick's 1-15 to 1-12 defeat by Clare in the Munster Championship. Downes broke onto the starting fifteen of the Limerick under-21 team during the 2011 Munster Championship and was appointed captain of the team. On 3 August, he scored a point from full-forward when Limerick defeated Cork by 4-20 to 1-27 after extra-time to win the Munster Championship.[16] Downes played his last game for the Limerick under-21 team on 18 July 2012. He scored two points from full-forward in a 1-16 to 1-11 defeat by Tipperary in the Munster Championship semi-final.[17] SeniorOn 13 February 2011, Downes made his first appearance for the Limerick senior team. He scored a point in Limerick's 2-09 to 0-06 defeat of Clare in the National League.[18] On 30 April, he scored 1-02 from play when Limerick defeated Clare by 4-12 to 2-13 to win the Division 2 title.[19] Downes made his first championship appearance on 12 June. He top scored for Limerick 2-01 in the 3-15 to 3-14 defeat by Waterford.[20] On 14 July 2013, Downes lined out in his first Munster Championship final. He started the game on the bench but was introduced as a 65th-minute substitute and scored two points in Limerick's 0-24 to 0-15 defeat of Cork and a first title in 17 years.[21] On 2 August 2016, Downes tore his cruciate in a club football game.[22] The injury ruled him out of Limerick's 2017 league and championship campaigns.[23] Downes rejoined the Limerick senior panel in 2018.[24] On 19 August 2018, he was an unused substitute when Limerick won their first All-Ireland title in 45 years after a 3-16 to 2-18 defeat of Galway in the final.[25] On 2 February 2019, Downes made his first appearance for Limerick in over 30 months when he lined out at full-forward in Limerick's 1-21 to 1-14 defeat of Clare in the National League.[26] Career statisticsInter-county
Honours
References
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