Club Hoyne plays his club
hurling with his local
Graigue–Ballycallan club and has enjoyed much success. He won both county minor and under-21 honours with the club before playing in four successive senior
county finals from 1998 until 2001. Hoyne ended up on the winning side in 1998 and 2000.
Inter-county Hoyne first came to prominence on the inter-county scene at underage levels. He won Leinster medals in both minor and under-21 with
Kilkenny before later joining the county senior team. Hoyne won his first senior
Leinster title with his native-county in 2000. He later lined out in his first All-Ireland final at
Croke Park where
Offaly, the defeated Leinster finalists, provided the opposition. The stakes were high for Kilkenny as the prospect of becoming the first team to lose three All-Ireland finals in-a-row was a daunting one. In the end victory went to Kilkenny by a huge score and Hoyne collected his first
All-Ireland medal. He won a second Leinster title in 2001, however, his side were later beaten in the All-Ireland semi-final. 2002 saw Hoyne add a
National Hurling League medal to his collection before winning a third provincial title. Kilkenny subsequently defeated
Clare in the championship decider, giving Hoyne a second All-Ireland medal. The success continued in 2003 as he won a second consecutive National League medal. Hoyne later won a fourth Leinster title before lining out in another All-Ireland final.
Cork were the opponents on that occasion, however, 'the Cats' overcame the Leesiders in a thrilling game, giving Hoyne a third All-Ireland medal. In 2004 Kilkenny were aiming for a third All-Ireland title in-a-row, however, all did not go to plan as the team lost their provincial crown to
Wexford. Kilkenny did reach the All-Ireland final via the 'back-door' system, however, Cork defeated them in a tense match. Hoyne won a fifth Leinster medal in 2005, however, Kilkenny were later caught on the hop in the All-Ireland semi-final as
Galway defeated 'the Cats' in one of the all-time classic games. Hoyne retired from inter-county duty shortly afterwards. ==References==