| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Native name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 14 October 1991 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Account manager | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Hurling | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Full-forward | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| *Inter County team apps and scores correct as of 23:17,24 August 2018. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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.
Downes 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]
During 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 ]
Downes 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 RuairíÓg 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]
Downes 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-off,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]
On 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]
| Team | Year | National League | Munster | All-Ireland | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Score | Apps | Score | Apps | Score | Apps | Score | ||
| Limerick | 2011 | Division 2 | 7 | 5-07 | 1 | 2-01 | 3 | 0-04 | 11 | 7-12 |
| 2012 | Division 1B | 4 | 0-02 | 1 | 0-02 | 2 | 0-02 | 7 | 0-06 | |
| 2013 | 6 | 0-11 | 2 | 0-02 | 1 | 0-01 | 9 | 0-14 | ||
| 2014 | 5 | 0-07 | 2 | 0-03 | 2 | 0-00 | 9 | 0-10 | ||
| 2015 | 0 | 0-00 | 2 | 0-00 | 2 | 1-03 | 4 | 1-03 | ||
| 2016 | 2 | 1-02 | 1 | 0-00 | 2 | 0-04 | 5 | 1-06 | ||
| 2017 | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 2018 | 0 | 0-00 | 0 | 0-00 | 0 | 0-00 | 0 | 0-00 | ||
| 2019 | Division 1A | 1 | 0-00 | 0 | 0-00 | 0 | 0-00 | 1 | 0-00 | |
| Career total | 25 | 6-29 | 9 | 2-08 | 12 | 1-14 | 46 | 9-51 | ||