Tom Cheasty

Infobox GAA player
code= Hurling
sport = Hurling


name = Tom Cheasty
irish = Tomás Ó Síosta
fullname = Tom Cheasty
placeofbirth = Ballyduff
countryofbirth = County Waterford
dob =
height =
nickname = The Iron Man
county = Waterford
province = Munster
club = Ballyduff-Portlaw
clposition = Forward
clubs =
clyears =
clapps(points) =
clcounty =
clprovince=
clallireland =
counties = Waterford
icposition = Centre-forward
icyears = 1950s-1960s
icapps(points) =
icprovince = 3
icallireland = 1
allstars =
clupdate =
icupdate =

Tom Cheasty (1934-2007) was an Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Ballyduff-Portlaw and with the Waterford senior inter-county team in the 1950s and 1960s. He is regarded as one of Waterford's greatest-ever players.

Early life

Tom Cheasty was born in Ballyduff, County Waterford in 1934. He was brought up on the family farm where he developed a strong, muscular frame which earned him the nickname of the 'iron man' and was a formidable bustling centre-forward in both hurling and Gaelic football games, using his strength and guile to great effect.

Playing career

Club

Cheasty played his club hurling with his local Ballyduff-Portlaw club and, surprisingly, he enjoyed most of his success with the club after his inter-county career had ended. He won five county titles with Ballyduff-Portlaw, the first in 1970 and the last in 1977 at the age of 43.

Inter-county

Cheasty first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the Waterford minor hurling and football teams. He joined the county's senior hurling team in 1954 and his debut was unusual to say the least. While attending a National Hurling League game between Waterford and Kilkenny, the former team were so short of players that the management resorted to searching the crowd for hurlers. Cheasty volunteered his services and his sporting career began. He first made his first mark at inter-county level in 1956 when Waterford played Cork in the first round of the Munster Championship. In spite of losing the game Cheasty played well and became a key member of the great Waterford side of the late 1950s.

Cheasty won a Munster Championship medal in 1957, however, his side were later defeated in the All-Ireland final by Kilkenny. A first round defeat in 1958 made the Waterford hurlers more determined to come back in 1959. That year Cheasty collected a second provincial medal before lining out in a second All-Ireland final. Kilkenny provided the opposition again, however, the game ended in a draw. In the replay a few weeks later Cheasty played a vital role in securing the victory by defeating five defenders and scoring two goals. One of Cheasty's bursts of speed prompted the commentator Michael O'Hehir to say:

"And Tom Cheasty breaks through with Kilkenny defenders falling around him like dying wasps."

In 1962 Cheasty won an Oireachtas Cup with Waterford and in 1963 he won a National Hurling League medal. Due to his attendance at a function organised by a soccer club, however, Cheasty was in violation of the GAA 'ban' on supporting 'foreign sports.' As such he received a six-month ban from playing and was not allowed to travel to the United States to play New York in the second leg of the National League. The ban ended just in time for him to win a third Munster medal and line out in a third All-Ireland final. Once again the men from the Déise faced KIlkenny, however, victory went to 'the Cats' on that occasion. Waterford had some great victories over the next few years, however, Cheasty retired from inter-county hurling after breaking his finger in a Munster Championship game against Cork.

Provincial

Cheasty also lined out with Munster in the Railway Cup inter-provincial competition. He won three Railway Cup medals in 1958, 1960 and 1961.

Teams

References

* Colm Keane, "Hurling's Top 20", (Mainstream Publishing, 2002).