Sim Walton facts for kids

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Sim Walton

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Personal information
Irish name	Simóin de Bháltún
Sport	Hurling
Position	Full-forward
Born	4 October 1880 Tullaroan, County Kilkenny, Ireland
Died	27 December 1966 (aged 86) Tullaroan, County Kilkenny, Ireland
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Nickname	Little Sim
Occupation	Farmer
Club(s)
Years	Club
	Tullaroan
Club titles
Kilkenny titles	7
Inter-county(ies)*
Years	County	Apps (scores)
1902–1919	Kilkenny	49
Inter-county titles
Leinster titles	9
All-Irelands	7
*Inter County team apps and scores correct as of 20:27, 20 July 2013.

Simon F. "Sim" Walton (born 4 October 1880 – died 27 December 1966) was a famous Irish hurler. He played as a full-forward for the Kilkenny county team at the highest level.

Sim Walton was born in Tullaroan, County Kilkenny. He started playing for Kilkenny when he was 22 years old. This was in the 1900 championship, which was played a bit later than planned.

Walton became a very important player for Kilkenny. He helped the team win many titles during their first "golden age." He won seven All-Ireland medals and nine Leinster medals. He was also the team captain when they won the All-Ireland in 1911 and 1912.

At his club, Tullaroan, Walton won seven championship medals. He was known as one of the best scorers of his time. It is thought he scored more than 30 goals, even though old records are not complete.

Sim Walton played in 49 championship games for Kilkenny. This was a record for the county until 1977. He stopped playing after Kilkenny lost to Dublin in the 1919 championship.

Sim Walton's grandnephew, Liam Doyle, also became a famous hurler. He won All-Ireland medals with Clare in 1995 and 1997.

Sim Walton's Hurling Journey

Playing for Tullaroan Club

Sim Walton played club hurling for his local team, Tullaroan. He had a very successful and long career with them.

• In 1901, he played in his first county championship final. Tullaroan beat Threecastles 5–10 to 3–7. This win gave Walton his first championship medal.
• Tullaroan won again in 1902. Walton got his second medal after they beat Mooncoin 3–16 to 0–1.
• They couldn't win three times in a row, but Tullaroan won again in 1904. They easily beat Piltown 6–14 to 1–6. This was Walton's third championship medal.
• After losing two finals in 1905 and 1906, Walton won his fourth medal in 1907. Tullaroan defeated Mooncoin 2–6 to 1–3.
• Walton earned his fifth championship medal in 1910. Tullaroan beat Piltown 7–1 to 3–0.
• In 1911, Tullaroan kept their title by beating Mooncoin 4–4 to 2–5. Walton got his sixth championship medal.
• His seventh and final championship medal came in 1915. Tullaroan won against Dicksboro with a score of 7–2 to 2–2.

Playing for Kilkenny County

Starting His County Career

Sim Walton first played for Kilkenny on 29 June 1902. They played against Tipperary in the delayed 1900 All-Ireland semi-final. Kilkenny lost closely by 1–11 to 1–8.

• In 1903, Walton played in his first provincial final. Kilkenny drew with Dublin 1–5 apiece. Kilkenny later won the title because Dublin's goal was questioned. This was Walton's first Leinster medal.
• The All-Ireland final in 1905 was against Cork. Kilkenny lost badly, 8–9 to 0–8.

Kilkenny's Rise to Success

• Walton won his second Leinster medal in 1904. Kilkenny narrowly beat Dublin 2–8 to 2–6.
• The All-Ireland final in 1906 was against Cork. Kilkenny won 1–9 to 1–8 in a close game. This was Walton's first All-Ireland medal.
• Kilkenny won their third Leinster title in a row in 1905. Walton got his third Leinster medal by beating Dublin 2–8 to 2–2.
• In the 1907 All-Ireland final, Kilkenny played Cork again. Cork won the first game, but it had to be replayed due to player issues. Kilkenny won the replay 7–7 to 2–9. This was Walton's second All-Ireland medal.
• After losing their titles in 1906, Kilkenny came back strong in 1907. They beat Dublin 4–14 to 1–9, giving Walton his fourth Leinster medal.
• In the 1908 All-Ireland final, Kilkenny faced Cork again. It was a thrilling game. Kilkenny won 3–12 to 4–8 with a last-minute point. This was Walton's third All-Ireland medal.
• In 1909, Walton won his fifth Leinster medal. Kilkenny defeated Laois 5–16 to 2–7.
• The All-Ireland final in 1909 was against Tipperary. Kilkenny won 4–6 to 0–12. This was the first time Kilkenny beat Tipperary in a championship. It was Walton's fourth All-Ireland medal.

Winning Three All-Ireland Titles in a Row

• Walton became captain in 1911. He won his sixth Leinster medal as Kilkenny beat Dublin 4–6 to 3–1.
• Kilkenny were set to play Limerick in the 1911 All-Ireland final. The game was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch. Kilkenny then played Tipperary instead and won 3–3 to 2–1. This gave Walton his fifth All-Ireland medal.
• Walton remained captain in 1912. He won his seventh Leinster medal as Kilkenny beat Laois 6–6 to 2–4.
• On 17 November 1912, Kilkenny played Cork in the All-Ireland final. Walton scored the winning goal. He also got to lift the cup as captain. This was his sixth All-Ireland medal.
• In 1913, Kilkenny aimed to win a third All-Ireland in a row. They beat Dublin in the Leinster final replay. This was Walton's eighth Leinster medal.
• On 2 November 1913, Kilkenny faced Tipperary in the All-Ireland final. Kilkenny won 2–4 to 1–2. This was an amazing seventh All-Ireland medal for Sim Walton.

End of His County Career

• Kilkenny could not win four All-Ireland titles in a row. The team's performance started to decline.
• Walton was captain again in 1916. Kilkenny beat Wexford 11–3 to 2–2, giving him his ninth Leinster medal.
• On 21 January 1917, Kilkenny played Tipperary in the All-Ireland final. Walton had a chance to make history by winning an eighth All-Ireland medal. However, Kilkenny lost 5–4 to 3–2 to Tipperary.
• Sim Walton played his last game for Kilkenny on 10 August 1919. Kilkenny lost to Dublin in the Leinster final. This marked the end of his long and successful hurling career.

Sim Walton's Legacy

Over time, Sim Walton became known as one of Kilkenny's greatest hurlers ever.

In 1988, more than twenty years after he passed away, Walton received a special honor. During the 100-year celebration of the Tullaroan club, he was chosen for the club's Team of the Century.

About Sim Walton's Life

Sim Walton was born in Reimeen, Tullaroan, County Kilkenny, in 1880. He grew up on his family's farm. He went to the local national school. Sim learned to love hurling from his father, John Walton, who won a championship medal with Tullaroan in 1887.

Besides hurling, Sim Walton was also very interested in greyhound racing. He owned many championship greyhounds. The most famous one was called Captain Sim, who raced in the Waterloo Cup.

Sim Walton passed away in 1966.

Awards and Achievements

Team Awards

Tullaroan

• Kilkenny Senior Hurling Championship (7): 1901, 1902, 1904, 1907, 1910, 1911, 1915

Kilkenny

• All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship (7): 1904, 1905, 1907, 1909, 1911 (c), 1912 (c), 1913
• Leinster Senior Hurling Championship (9): 1903, 1904, 1905, 1907, 1909, 1911 (c), 1912 (c), 1913, 1916 (c)