Taghmon best in battle of the dead-eye Doyles

TAGHMON-C’ROSS 2-20 ST. PATRICK’S 2-13

A SUPERB second-half purple patch landed the spoils for Taghmon-Camross as they progressed to the semi-finals of the Top Oil Intermediate ‘A’ hurling championship on Saturday.

St. Patrick’s were blown away at Bellefield as their opponents racked up a goal and four points in three miraculous minutes, a surge which proved decisive.

The winners were helped on their way by a joint top-scoring contribution of 2-9 from corner-forward and free-taker Pierce Doyle.

The vanquished Camolin outfit also had a star striker in the form of John Doyle who matched his opponent and namesake but who did not have the supporting cast to match.

It was Doyle J. who drew first blood as St. Pat’s threw all the early shapes, finding the net behind Jack Dunne with a scrappy goal after just two minutes.

However, the benefit of the prosperous start was shortlived as the game between two teams dressed in yellow settled to be- come a dogged slog.

Taghmon-Camross held the edge from eleven minutes when Doyle P. grabbed the first of his two goals, shaking off two would-be tacklers and leaving ’keeper Stuart Quinn injured in the process.

Doyle J’s fifth point of the day briefly had Camolin level midway through the half but the eventual victors always appeared to have more variety in attack.

The Taghmon-Camross main man had very willing helpers and plenty of allies, with Stephen O’Gorman, Darren Carty and Ian Carty also on the scoresheet before the interval.

Camolin could not be faulted for effort but crucial wides ensured that they were 1-11 to 1-8 down by the break.

The even-steven nature of the exchanges continued on the resumption and a tremendous long-range point by Tomás Morris looked to be a morale-raiser for St. Patrick’s.

Instead, it triggered a nuclear response from their opponents who went into over-drive after Pierce Doyle emerged from a ruck to tip home his second goal.

This was followed in jig time by a scintillating sequence of points from all angles, each one of them from open play as, for a brief but glorious spell, the Taghmon-Camross forwards could do no wrong.

Their rivals never threatened thereafter to repair the damage done, though John Doyle’s penalty helped to keep the contest notionally alive to the end.

It was fitting that the afternoon’s entertainment concluded with the last word going to the other Doyle, collecting his final point of a personally memorable occasion.

Taghmon-Camross: Jack Dunne; Páuric O’Gorman, Robert Nolan, Mark O’Gorman; Brian O’Gorman, Barry O’Gorman, Pat Nolan; Darren Carty (0-2), Stephen Stafford; Luke Sinnott, Ian Carty (0-2, 1 free), Thomas Furlong; Pierce Doyle (2-9, 0-6 frees, 0-1 ’65), Richard Comerford, Stephen O’Gorman. Subs. - Shane Doyle (0-1) for Stafford (37), Darren Hayden for Comerford (55), Stephen O’Keeffe for Sinnott (61).

St. Patrick’s: Stuart Quinn; Peter Roche, Tynan Flynn, James Cousins; Hughie Doyle, Dermot O’Leary, Daryl Murphy; Tommy Dunne (0-1), Richie Flood (0-1); Tommy Morris, John Doyle (2-9, 0-5 frees, 1-0 pen.), Shane Finn; Andrew Doyle, Niall O’Brien, Tomás Morris (0-2). Subs. - Stephen Morris for Tommy Morris (30), Michael Carroll for A. Doyle (41), Ashley Tully for O’Brien (52).

Referee: Derek Murphy (St. Martin’s).