Minor and Under-21
Cunningham first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the Galway minor hurling team as a sixteen year-old in 1981. He made his debut that year as Galway reached the All-Ireland final for the first time in eight years. Kilkenny were the opponents and went on to win the game by 1-20 to 3-9.
Galway were back in a second successive All-Ireland minor decider again in 1982 as Tipperary provided the opposition. A complete collapse by Galway resulted in a 2-7 to 0-4 defeat.
In 1983 Cunningham was in his final year on the minor team when he was appointed captain. Galway reached a third consecutive All-Ireland decider, this time with Dublin providing the opposition. A 0-10 to 0-7 victory spared Galway the unwanted distinction of losing three successive championship deciders, while it also gave Cunningham a coveted All-Ireland medal as captain.
Cunningham subsequently joined the Galway under-21 hurling team. After a few unsuccessful seasons he was appointed captain in his final year on the team in 1986. Galway qualified for the All-Ireland final that year with Wexford providing the opposition. A 1-14 to 2-5 victory gave Galway the title and gave Cunningham an All-Ireland medal in the under-21 grade.
Read more about this topic: Anthony Cunningham, Playing Career
Famous quotes containing the word minor:
“A child who fears excessive retaliation for even minor offenses will learn very early on that to lie is to protect himself.... If your child intuits that you will react very punitively to his wrongdoing, he may be tempted to lie and may become, as time goes on, a habitual liar.”
—Lawrence Balter (20th century)