Phil Grimes

Infobox GAA player
code= Hurling
sport = Hurling


name = Phil Grimes
irish = Filib Ó Gormshúil
fullname = Phil Grimes
placeofbirth = Waterford
countryofbirth =
bday=8
bmonth=5
byear= 1929
dyear=1989
dday=8
dmonth=5
height =
nickname = Philly
county = Waterford
province = Munster
club = Mount Sion
clposition = Midfield
clubs =
clyears =
clapps(points) =
clcounty =
clprovince=
clallireland =
counties = Cork
icposition = Midfield
icyears = 1950s-1960s
icapps(points) =
icprovince = 4
icallireland = 2
allstars =
clupdate =
icupdate =

Phil Grimes (8 May, 1929 – 8 May, 1989) was an Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Mount Sion and with the Waterford senior inter-county team from the 1940s until the 1960s.

Early life

Phil Grimes was born in Waterford in 1929. He was educated locally at the Mount Sion Primary School, for whom he later played. In a career that lasted eighteen years he also played for Waterford and Munster. Grimes is regarded as one of Waterford’s greatest-ever players.

Playing career

Club

Grimes played his club hurling with his local Mount Sion, one of the most famous hurling clubs in the country. He won his first senior county titles in the 1950s when Mount Sion won an unprecedented nine county titles in-a-row. The club was defeated in it’s bid to win a tenth consecutive county title, however, Grimes won a further three county titles in-a-row in 1963, 1964 and 1965. He also helped Mount Sion to four county senior football titles.

Inter-county

Grime first came to prominence as a member of the Waterford senior inter-county team in the late 1940s. He played in the first round of the Munster Championship in 1948, however, he emigrated to the United States shortly afterwards. In spite of this he still qualified to be presented with a set of Munster and All-Ireland medals. When Grimes returned to Ireland he rejoined the county team and won his first Munster title on the field of play in 1957. Waterford later played Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final, however, victory went to the men from Leinster on that occasion. The team would later come to rue this defeat as an All-Ireland title that they should have won. Waterford lost their provincial crown in 1958, however, the team bounced back in 1959 with Grimes collecting a second Munster title. Once again Waterford subsequently lined out in the championship decider and, once again, Kilkenny provided the opposition. The game ended in a draw, however, when the two sides met for the replay a few weeks later the men from Waterford made no mistake in defeating their near rivals and Grimes collected his first All-Ireland medal that was won on the field of play. Four years later in 1963 Grimes added a National Hurling League medal to his collection before winning a third Munster title. For the third successive time Kilkenny turned out to be Waterford’s opponents in the subsequent All-Ireland final, however, the men from the Decies were beaten on that occasion.

Grimes also won Railway Cup honours with Munster in 1958 and 1960. He died on his sixtieth birthday after a long battle with illness.

Teams

References

* [http://members.tripod.com/waterfordhistory/philly_grimes_-_hurler.htm Phil Grimes tribute site]

Web sites

* [http://www.anfearrua.ie An Fear Rua - The GAA Unplugged!]