third All-Ireland medal. In 1909 Walton won his fifth Leinster medal following a 5-16 to 2-7 defeat of Laois. The subsequent All-Ireland decider on 12 December 1909 saw Kilkenny face Tipperary. The game was noted for its hard physical exchanges, however, a 4-6 to 0-12 victory saw Kilkenny defeat Tipperary for the very first time in championship hurling. It was Walton's fourth All-Ireland medal. Three-in-a-row Walton was appointed captain in 1911 and won a sixth Leinster medal as Kilkenny defeated Dublin by 4-6 to 3-1. There was controversy in the subsequent All-Ireland series as Kilkenny were destined to play Limerick in the decider on 18 February 1912. On the first occasion the pitch at the Cork Athletic Grounds was water-logged and the game was fixed for Thurles on 28 July 1912. A substitute contest was played on 28 July 1912 when Tipperary faced Kilkenny after being nominated as provincial representatives by the Munster Council. A 3-3 to 2-1 victory gave Walton his fifth All-Ireland medal. After retaining the captaincy for 1912, Walton won a seventh Leinster medal following a 6-6 to 2-4 trouncing of Laois. On 17 November 1912 Kilkenny faced old rivals Cork in the All-Ireland decider. In the last seventeen-a-side final, a record crowd of over 20,000 thronged Jones's Road, while the gate receipts of £600 were a record high. Walton was credited with scoring the winning goal, while he also had the honour of lifting the cup on behalf of his team. It was his sixth All-Ireland medal. In 1913 Kilkenny set out to capture a record-equalling third successive All-Ireland championship. After a low scoring 1-0 to 0-3 drawn game with Dublin in the provincial decider, Kilkenny secured a comprehensive 7-5 to 2-1 victory in the replay. It was Walton's eighth Leinster medal. On 2 November 1913 Kilkenny faced near rivals Tipperary in the All-Ireland decider. A fast-paced game followed, with victory going to Kilkenny on a 2-4 to 1-2 score line. It was a remarkable seventh All-Ireland medal for Walton. Decline Four-in-a-row proved beyond Kilkenny and the team went into decline. Walton returned as captain once again in 1916 as Kilkenny bounced back. An 11-3 to 2-2 trouncing of Wexford gave him his ninth Leinster medal. On 21 January 1917 Kilkenny faced Tipperary in the All-Ireland final, while Walton was presented with the chance of making history by becoming the first player to win eight All-Ireland