Tom Semple

A 4-11 to 3-6 defeat of Lahorna De Wets gave Semple his second championship medal as captain.

It was the first of four successive championships for Thurles as subsequent defeats of Lahorna De Wets, Glengoole and Racecourse/Grangemockler brought Semple's medal tally to five.

Five-in-a-row proved beyond Thurles, however, Semple's team reached the final for the sixth time in eight seasons in 1911.

Semple's skill quickly brought him to the attention of the Tipperary senior hurling selectors.

This was not the end of the championship campaign because, for the first year ever, the "home" finalists had to take on London in the All-Ireland decider.

Tipp's Mikey Maher stepped up, took the free and a forward charge carried the sliotar over the line.

That year Semple was captain for the first time as Tipp foiled Cork's bid for an unprecedented sixth Munster title in-a-row.

Semple's side got off to a bad start with Dublin's Bill Leonard scoring a goal after just five seconds of play.

Tipp fought back with Paddy Riordan giving an exceptional display of hurling and capturing most of his team's scores.

Semple was captain of the side again that year as his team received a walkover from Kerry in the provincial decider.

He received a limited education at his local national school and, like many of his contemporaries, finding work was a difficult prospect.

In 1910 he and others organised a committee which purchased the showgrounds in Thurles in an effort to develop a hurling playing field there.