Michael Rice (hurler)
Michael Rice (born 27 January 1984) is an Irish hurling selector and hurler who plays for Kilkenny Intermediate Championship club Carrickshock. He was a member of the Kilkenny senior hurling team for 12 years, during which time he usually lined out at midfield. Rice is currently a selector with the Kilkenny under-20 hurling team. Playing career Carrickshock After much success at underage levels, including several minor and under-21 championships, Rice quickly joined the Carrickshock senior team. In 2004 Rice won a county intermediate championship medal with Carrickshock following a narrow 0–14 to 1–10 defeat of Mooncoin. He later won a Leinster intermediate winners' medal as Carrickshock defeated St Patrick's of Wexford by 2–16 to 0–7 in the inaugural provincial decider. Power's side were subsequently defeated by Kildangan in the All-Ireland Intermediate Club Hurling Championship decider. Kilkenny Minor and under-21 Rice first played for Kilkenny as a 17-year-old member of the minor team during the 2001 Leinster Championship. He made his first appearance for the team on 27 June 2001 in a 1–14 to 1–06 defeat of Dublin. On 8 July 2001, Rice won a Leinster Championship medal after lining out at right wing-back in Kilkenny's 3–16 to 1–09 defeat of Wexford in the final. Rice was appointed captain of the team for the 2002 Leinster Championship. He won a second successive Leinster Championship medal on 7 July 2002 following Kilkenny's 2–15 to 2–08 defeat of Wexford in the final. On 8 September 2002, Rice captained Kilkenny to an All-Ireland final meeting with Tipperary. Lining out at midfield, he ended the game with a winners' medal following the 3–15 to 1–07 victory. On 11 June 2003, Rice made his first appearance for the Kilkenny under-21 team when he lined out at midfield in a 2–18 to 0-10 Leinster Championship defeat of Offaly. He won a Leinster Championship medal on 16 July 2003 after again lining out at midfield in a 0–12 to 1–04 defeat of Dublin in the final. On 21 September 2003, Rice won an All-Ireland medal after Kilkenny's 2–13 to 0–12 defeat of Galway in the final. Rice was dropped from the starting fifteen for the 2004 Leinster Championship. In spite of this he won a second successive Leinster Championship medal, albeit as a non-playing substitute, on 14 July 2004 following Kilkenny's 1–16 to 2–03 defeat of Wexford in the final. On 18 September 2004, Rice was again named amongst the substitutes when Kilkenny faced Tipperary in the All-Ireland final. He was introduced as a substitute for James Fitzpatrick and collected a second successive winners' medal after scoring a point in the 3–21 to 1–06 victory. On 20 July 2005, Rice won a third successive Leinster Championship medal after being reinstated to the starting fifteen for Kilkenny's 0–17 to 1–10 defeat of Dublin in the final. He was again named at midfield when Kilkenny faced Galway in the All-Ireland final on 18 September 2005. In his last game in the under-21 grade, Rice ended on the losing side following