Tom Cheasty was born on Ballyduff Lower in 1934. His parents were Geoffrey and Kathleen (nee Walsh). He worked on his aunts and uncles farm in Ballyduff. He had interest in football but more especially hurling from a very early age. His first appearance in a Waterford jersey was in 1954, in a league game against Kilkenny. Cheasty was on the Waterford teams that won Munster finals in 1957, 1959 and 1963. His playing position was that of centre forward. Waterford won the All-Ireland in 1959. They won the league final in 1963 and were beaten by Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final in the same year. He also won honours in 1962 with an Oireachtas victory and won numerous Railway Cup medals. Cheasty played for three decades. During the seventies he was the guiding force in the success achieved by his club, Ballyduff/Portlaw.