Stephen Hayes (hurler)

Stephen Hayes (born 1860 in Blackrock, County Cork) was an Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Blackrock and with the Cork senior inter-county team in the 1880s and 1890s. Murphy captained Cork to a third All-Ireland victory in-a-row in 1894.

Playing career

Club

Hayes played his club hurling with the famous Blackrock club in Cork and enjoyed much success. He won his first senior county title in 1887 as ‘the Rockies’ captured the very first Cork county title. Hayes added further county titles to his collection in 1889 and 1891. Blackrock quickly became the standard-bearers in the county and Murphy had further county victories with the famous club in 1893, 1894, 1895, 1897 and 1898.

Inter-county

Hayes first lined out for Cork in 1889 when he was captain of the team. He had little success in that year as Cork were defeated in the early stages of the provincial championship. Two years later in 1891 Hayes was back as captain; however, once again his team fell at the first hurldle. Blackrock’s victory in the county championship in 1894 allowed them to represent Cork in the inter-county series. Hayes who, as a Blackrock player, was included in the selection was appointed captain for the third time. That year Cork reached their third successive Munster final where Tipperary provided the opposition. On that occasion Cork retained their provincial title for the third consecutive occasion with a remarkable 3-4 to 1-2 victory, giving Hayes his first, and only, Munster title. The subsequent All-Ireland final pitted Cork against Dublin for the second time in three years. Cork showed their class and the game turned into a rout. A 5-20 to 2-0 score line gave victory to Cork once again. The 29 point defeat of ‘the Dubs’ marks the game as one of the most one-sided All-Ireland finals in history. It was Cork’s third All-Ireland title in-a-row and it was Hayes’s first and indeed his only one. Blackrock were entitled to represent Cork again in 1895 as the county chased an unprecedented four-in-a-row, however, a dispute over the 1894 football championship resulted in Cork withdrawing from the championship.