James "Cha" Fitzpatrick
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| James 'Cha' Fitzpatrick | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sport | Hurling | |
| Irish Name | Séamus Mac Giolla Phádraig | |
| Full name | James Fitzpatrick | |
| Date of birth | January 31, 1985 | |
| Place of birth | Ballyhale , County Kilkenny | |
| Nickname(s) | Cha | |
| Club information | ||
| Club | Ballyhale Shamrocks | |
| Position | Midfield | |
| Club(s)* | ||
| Club | Years | Apps (scores) |
| Ballyhale | 2003-present | |
| Inter-County | ||
| County | Kilkenny | |
| Position | Midfield | |
| Inter-County(ies)** | ||
| County | Years | Apps (scores) |
| Kilkenny | 2004-present | 14 (1-24) |
| Senior Inter-County Titles | ||
| Leinster Titles | 2 | |
| All-Ireland | 2 | |
| All Stars | 2 | |
|
* club appearances and scores |
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James 'Cha' Fitzpatrick (born 31 January 1985) is an Irish sportsperson. He plays hurling with his local club Ballyhale Shamrocks and with the Kilkenny senior inter-county team.
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[edit] Early life
James 'Cha' Fitzpatrick was born in Ballyhale, County Kilkenny in 1985. He was educated locally and showed great skill at the game of hurling, winning a Féile na nGael medal in 1998 and an Under-16 Nenagh Co-Op Tournament medal in 2001. Fitzpatrick subsequently attended St. Kieran's College, a famed hurling nursery, in Kilkenny. It was here that his hurling skills were developed and nurtured by the many hurling enthusiasts there. In 2003 Fitzpatrick captained the school team to both Leinster and All-Ireland Colleges' titles. He later studied chemical engineering at University College Cork where his hurling talents were once more evident on the university's Fitzgibbon Cup team. Fitzpatrick later changed courses and is now studing to become a primary school teacher at St. Patrick's College in Dublin.
[edit] Playing career
[edit] Club
Fitzpatrick plays his local club hurling with Ballyhale Shamrocks and has had much success with the club at under-age level. He was a member of each team when Ballyhale captured a unique four-in-a-row of under-21 Roinn A titles. These victories occurred in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006. This achievement overtook the previous record of three-in-a-row which was set by Ballyhale in 1972, 1973 and 1974. Ballyhale are now equal with James Stephens on seven under-21 Roinn A titles each. In 2006 Fitzpatrick won his first senior county title title with the club. It was Ballyhale's first championship title since 1991. He was also selected Kilkenny Club Hurler of the Year in 2006.[1] Fitzpatrick subsequently won a Leinster title and later claimed an All-Ireland club medal on St. Patrick's Day, 2007. In 2007 an injury ruled Fitzpatrick out of Ballyhale's second consecutive county final victory.
He has also won the individual skills competition at Féile na Gael and was a part of the Ballyhale Shamrocks victorious team in the same competition in 1998 hosted in Co. Wexford.
[edit] Inter-county
Fitzpatrick first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the Kilkenny minor hurling team in the early 2000s. He won his first Leinster title in this grade in 2002 and he later lined out in his first minor championship decider. Tipperary provided the opposition on that occasion, however, it was Kilkenny who won the game, giving Fitzpatrick a coveted All-Ireland medal. In 2003 he added a second Leinster minor medal to his collection before later winning a second consecutive All-Ireland minor medal following a victory over Galway. Fitzpatrick later moved on to the county under-21 team with whom he won his first Leinster under-21 title as captain of the team in 2004. He later guided his native-county to an All-Ireland victory over Tipperary in the championship decider. 2005 saw Fitzpatrick add a second Leinster under-21 medal to his collection, however, 'the Cats' were later defeated by Galway in the All-Ireland final. In 2006 he won a third consecutive Leinster under-21 title before collecting a second All-Ireland medal after a defeat of Tipperary in a replay at Semple Stadium after a thrilling draw had been played out in Croke Park the previous week.
Fitzpatrick was just out of the minor grade when he made his debut with the Kilkenny senior hurling in 2004. He later went on to play in his first All-Ireland final that year, however, after a dour game victory went to Cork. Fitzpatrick played no part with the Kilkenny senior team for the 2005 championship, however, he returned in 2006 and proved to be one of the best players on the team. He began the year by winning Walsh Cup and National Hurling League honours. These victories were followed by Fitzpatrick winning his first senior Leinster title as well as his first All-Ireland medal at senior level following a victory over Cork. He subsequently won his first All-Star award for his performance at midfield for Kilkenny. Not only that but Fitzpatrick also won the Vodafone All Stars Young Hurler of the Year award and was named on the inaugural GPA Hurling Team of the Year. In 2007 Fitzpatrick added a second Leinster medal to his collection following a trouncing of Wexford in the provincial final. He later won his second senior All-Ireland medal after 'the Cats' defeated surprise finalists Limerick in the championship decider. There is some speculation that Fitzpatrick will take over from Henry Shefflin as captain of the Kilkenny senior hurlers in 2008.
| Achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jackie Tyrrell (Kilkenny) |
All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Final winning captain 2004 |
Succeeded by Andrew Keary (Galway) |
| Awards | ||
| Preceded by David Collins (Galway) |
Vodafone Young Hurler of the Year 2006 |
Succeeded by Séamus Hickey (Limerick) |
| Sporting positions | ||
| Preceded by Henry Shefflin |
Kilkenny Senior Hurling Captain 2008 |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
[edit] Teams
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