Liam Blanchfield (born 18 November 1996) is an Irish hurler who plays for Kilkenny Senior Championship club Bennettsbridge and at inter-county level with the Kilkenny senior hurling team. He usually lines out as a left wing-forward.

Playing career

St. Kieran's College

Blanchfield first came to prominence as a hurler with St. Kieran's College in Kilkenny. Having played in every grade as a hurler, he was eventually called up the college's senior team. On 9 March 2014, Blanchfield scored a point when St. Kieran's College suffered a 2–13 to 0–13 defeat by Kilkenny CBS in the Leinster final. On 5 April 2014, he was switched to centre-forward for the

All-Ireland final The All-Ireland Final may refer to: * All-Ireland Hurling Final, the last match to be played in the All-Ireland Hurling Championship (Senior, Minor and Under-21 levels) * The last match to be played in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship ...

against Kilkenny CBS and collected a winners' medal following the 2–16 to 0–13 victory. On 28 February 2015, Blanchfield won a Leinster Championship medal when St. Kieran's College defeated St. Peter's College by 1–14 to 1–06 in the final. He was selected at right wing-forward by spent much of the game at centre-forward when St. Kieran's College faced Thurles CBS in the All-Ireland final. Blanchfield scored a point from play and collected a second successive All-Ireland medal following the 1–15 to 1–12 victory.

Bennettsbridge

Blanchfield joined the Bennettsbridge club at a young age and played in all grades at juvenile and underage levels and enjoyed championship success in the minor grade. He eventually joined the club's top adult team in the Kilkenny Junior Championship. On 4 November 2012, Blanchfield was just 15-years-old when he lined out at right corner-forward when Bennettsbridge qualified for the Kilkenny Junior Championship final. He scored a point from play but ended on the losing side following a 3–12 to 0–10 defeat by

Thomastown Thomastown (), historically known as Grennan, is a town in County Kilkenny in the province of Leinster in the south-east of Ireland. It is a market town along a stretch of the River Nore which is known for its salmon and trout, with a number o ...

. Bennettsbridge qualified for a second successive Kilkenny Junior Championship final on 20 October 2013, with Blanchfield lining out at right wing-forward. He scored a point from play in the 2–16 to 1–18 defeat by Lisdowney. On 9 November 2014, Cleere won a Kilkenny Junior Championship medal after scoring 1-01 from right corner-forward in a 1–17 to 1–07 defeat of

Mooncoin Mooncoin () is a census town in County Kilkenny, in Ireland. The population was 1,175 in 2016. Historically part of the Gaelic kingdom of Osraige, today it is in the far south of the county of Kilkenny, located in the valley of the River Suir ...

in the final. He retained his position at right corner-forward for the Leinster final on 6 December 2014 and ended the game with a winners' medal after the 1–20 to 0–03 defeat of Shamrocks. Bennettsbridge subsequently qualified for an

meeting with Fullen Gaels on 15 February 2015. Blanchfield collected a winners' medal after scoring 1-01 from play in the 2–17 to 2–14 victory. On 18 October 2015, Blanchfield lined out in the forwards when Bennettsbridge drew 0–20 to 3–11 with St Patrick's Ballyragget in the Kilkenny Intermediate Championship final. He was again included on the starting fifteen for the replay on 24 October 2015 and collected a winners' medal after a 1–16 to 1–14 victory. Blanchfield won a Leinster Championship medal on 21 November 2015 after scoring two points from right corner-forward in a 1–14 to 0–13 defeat of

Kiltale Kiltale () is a small rural community district in County Meath, Ireland with a population of approx. 300. Kiltale is situated on the R154 regional road, the main Dublin to Trim road. It is approximately 9 km east of Trim, about 9 km w ...

in the final. On 7 February 2016, he was again selected at right corner-forward for the

against Abbeyknockmoy. He ended the game with a winners' medal following the 1–17 to 1–14 victory. On 28 October 2018, Blanchfield lined out at centre-forward when Bennettsbridge faced

Ballyhale Shamrocks Ballyhale Shamrocks is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in the parish of Ballyhale in County Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland. The club was founded in 1972 and is primarily concerned with the game of hurling. Ballyhale Shamrocks are the ...

in the Kilkenny Senior Championship final. He scored a point from play but ended on the losing side following a 2–20 to 2–17 defeat.

Kilkenny

Minor and under-21

Blanchfield first played for Kilkenny as a member of the minor team during the 2013 Leinster Championship. On 7 July 2013, he won a Leinster Championship medal after scoring two points from right wing-forward in Kilkenny's 1–18 to 0–08 defeat of

Laois County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medi ...

in the final. On 6 July 2014, Blanchfield won a second successive Leinster Championship medal after scoring 2-03 from full-forward in Kilkenny's 2–19 to 2–10 defeat of

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: * Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

. On 7 September 2014, he was again at full-forward when Kilkenny faced

Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...

in the

. Blanchfield ended the game with a winners' medal after scoring two points in the 2–17 to 0–19 victory. Blanchfield progressed onto the Kilkenny under-21 team during the 2015 Leinster Championship. He made his first appearance for the team on 2 June 2015 when he lined out at left wing-forward in Kilkenny's 4–12 to 2–16 defeat of Dublin in the quarter-final. On 8 July 2015, Blanchfield was again at left wing-forward when Kilkenny suffered a 4–17 to 1–09 defeat by

Wexford Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 ...

in the Leinster final. On 5 July 2017, Blanchfield won a Leinster Championship medal after scoring a point from full-forward in 0–30 to 1–15 defeat of Wexford in the final. On 9 September 2017, he was again at full-forward for Kilkenny's 0–17 to 0–11 defeat by Limerick in the

Senior

Blanchfield was drafted onto the Kilkenny senior team during the 2016 National League. He made his first appearance for the team on 3 April 2016 when he lined out at right corner-forward in a 6–20 to 0–14 defeat of

Offaly County Offaly (; ga, Contae Uíbh Fhailí) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in h ...

. Blanchfield made his Leinster Championship debut on 11 June 2016 when he came on as a 51st-minute substitute for Eoin Larkin in a 1–25 to 0–16 defeat of Dublin. On 3 July 2016, he was an unused substitute when Kilkenny defeated

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a city in the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay, and is the sixth most populous city on ...

by 1–26 to 0–22 to win the Leinster Championship. Blanchfield was back on the starting fifteen when he was selected at left corner-forward for the

against Tipperary on 4 September 2016. He was held scoreless throughout and ended the game on the losing side following a 2–29 to 2–20 defeat. On 8 April 2018, Blanchfield was named on the substitutes' bench when Kilkenny faced Tipperary in the National League final. He was introduced as a substitute for

Alan Murphy Alan Murphy (18 November 1953 – 19 October 1989) was a British rock session guitarist, best remembered for his collaborations with Kate Bush and Go West. In 1988, he joined the jazz-funk band Level 42 as a full-time band member, and played wi ...

and collected a winners' medal following the 2–23 to 2–17 victory. Blanchfield was again selected on the substitutes' bench when Kilkenny faced Galway in the Leinster final on 1 July 2018. He came on as a substitute for Martin Keoghan in the 0-18 apiece draw. He again made an appearance as a substitute in the replay a week later, however, Kilkenny suffered a 1–28 to 3–15 defeat. On 30 June 2019, Blanchfield was an unused substitute when Kilkenny suffered a 1–23 to 0–23 defeat by Wexford in the Leinster final. On 18 August 2019, he was again listed amongst the substitutes when Kilkenny faced Tipperary in the

. Blanchfield remained on the bench for the 3–25 to 0–20 defeat.

Career statistics

Honours

;St. Kieran's College * All-Ireland Colleges Senior Hurling Championship (2):

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, 2015 *

Leinster Colleges Senior Hurling Championship Leinster colleges senior hurling "A" championship, is the top level hurling championship for secondary schools in Leinster. The winners receive the Corn ui Dhuill and advance to the All-Ireland colleges "A" senior hurling championship, where they ...

(1): 2015 ;Bennettsbridge * All-Ireland Intermediate Club Hurling Championship (1): 2016 *

Leinster Intermediate Club Hurling Championship ''For the senior hurling equivalent see: Leinster Senior Club Hurling Championship'' The Leinster Intermediate Club Hurling Championship is an annual hurling tournament played between the county champions on intermediate level within the provinc ...

(1): 2015 *

Kilkenny Intermediate Hurling Championship The Kilkenny Intermediate Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as Michael Lyng Motors Intermediate Hurling Championship and abbreviated to the Kilkenny IHC) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Kilkenny County Board ...

(1): 2015 *

All-Ireland Junior Club Hurling Championship The All-Ireland Junior Club Hurling Championship is an annual inter-county club hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) since 2002-03 for eligible hurling clubs. Clubs qualify for the competition based on their pe ...

(1): 2015 *

Leinster Junior Club Hurling Championship ''For the senior hurling equivalent see: Leinster Senior Club Hurling Championship'' The Leinster Junior Club Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the AIB Leinster GAA Hurling Junior Club Championship) is an annual hurling com ...

(1): 2014 *

Kilkenny Junior Hurling Championship The J. J. Kavanagh & Sons Premier Junior Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Kilkenny County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1905 for the third-tier hurling teams in the county of Kilkenny in ...

(1): 2014 *Kilkenny Minor Hurling Championship (1): 2011 ;Kilkenny *

Leinster Senior Hurling Championship The Leinster GAA Hurling Senior Championship, known simply as the Leinster Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest inter-county hurl ...

(1):

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

* National Hurling League (1):

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

Leinster Under-21 Hurling Championship The Leinster GAA Hurling All-Ireland Under-20 Championship known simply as the Leinster Under-20 Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the hig ...

(1):

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Minor Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Electric Ireland GAA Hurling All-Ireland Minor Championship) is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). I ...

(1):

Leinster Minor Hurling Championship The Leinster GAA Hurling Minor Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Electric Ireland Leinster GAA Hurling Minor Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Ass ...

(2):

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blanchfield, Liam 1996 births Living people Bennettsbridge hurlers Kilkenny inter-county hurlers