William "Willie" Walsh is an Irish retired hurler who played as a centre-forward for the Cork senior team. Walsh joined the team during the 1968-69 National League and was a regular member of the starting fifteen until his retirement after the 1975 championship. During that time he won one All-Ireland medal, three Munster medals and three National League medals. Hegarty was an All-Ireland runner-up on two occasions. At club level Hegarty was a one-time intermediate championship medalist with Youghal.
Playing career
Club
Walsh played his club hurling with Youghal and enjoyed some success during a lengthy career. In 1969 he was a key member of the team that reached the final of the intermediate championship. Cobh provided the opposition on that occasion, however, Youghal's ability to score goals proved the deciding factor. A 3-9 to 0-13 win gave Walsh an intermediate championship medal.
Minor and under-21
Walsh first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the Cork minor hurling team in 1966. He collected a Munster medal following a 6-7 to 2-8 defeat of Galway. Cork later faced Wexford in the All-Ireland decider, however, a high-scoring 6-7 apiece draw was the result. The replay was much more conclusive with Wexford claiming a 4-1 to 1-8 victory. By 1968 Walsh had progressed onto the Cork under-21 team and enjoyed immediate success on one of the most successful teams of all-time in that grade. Tipperary were bested by 4-10 to 1-13 to secure a first Munster medal. Walsh was later on the starting fifteen for the All-Ireland decider against Kilkenny. A 2-18 to 3-9 victory gave him his first All-Ireland medal in that grade. In 1969 Cork had an even more comprehensive victory over Tipp in the provincial decider and Walsh added a second Munster medal to his collection. Old rivals Wexford provided the opposition in the subsequent All-Ireland final and a high-scoring game ensued. A 5-13 to 4-7 victory gave Walsh a second consecutive All-Ireland medal.
Senior
Walsh made his senior debut during the successful 1968-69 National League campaign for Cork. A 3-12 to 1-14 defeat of Wexford in the decider gave him his first National Hurling League medal. The subsequent provincial decider pitted Cork against reigning champions Tipperary. A 4-6 to 0-9 victory gave Cork a first defeat of Tipp since 1957 while it also gave Walsh a first Munster medal. This victory paved the way for an All-Ireland showdown with Kilkenny, however, the team suffered a setback before the game when midfielderJustin McCarthy broke his leg in a motorcycle accident. In spite of this Cork led at the interval and looked a good bet for the victory, particularly after Kilkenny forwardPat Delaney left the field on a stretcher. The Rebels were still to the good coming into the last quarter, however, Kilkenny scored five unanswered points in the last seven minutes to win by 2-15 to 2-9. In spite of the All-Ireland defeat, Cork regrouped during the 1969-70 National League. It was a successful campaign for the Rebels as an aggregate 5-21 to 6-16 defeat of New York gave Walsh his second National Hurling League medal. The subsequent championship campaign saw him win his second Munster medal as Tipperary were accounted for by 3-10 to 3-8. Cork later qualified for the All-Ireland final with Wexford providing the opposition in the very first eighty-minute championship decider. The game saw a record 64-point score line for both teams as Cork's Eddie O'Brien scored a hat-trick of goals to give Cork a considerable lead. At the full-time whistle Cork were the winners by 6-21 to 5-10, giving Walsh an All-Ireland medal. After being dropped from the team for a number of seasons, Walsh won his third National League medal in 1974 as Cork defeated Limerick on a huge score line of 6-15 to 1-12. The following year Walsh won his third Munster medal following a 3-14 to 0-12 defeat of reigning provincial champions Limerick. Cork were later defeated by Galway in the All-Ireland semi-final.
Inter-provincial
Walsh also had the honour of being selected for Munster in the inter-provincial series of games. He made his debut with the province in 1970 and was a regular at various times until his retirement in 1975. He enjoyed little success in this competition as Leinster dominated at the time. In 1970 Walsh won his sole Railway Cup medal following a 2-15 to 0-9 defeat of arch-rivals Leinster.
