Duffry build on perfect start
Coolree boys beat Taghmon
DUFFRY ROVERS 1-19 TAGHMON-CAMROSS 0-9
DUFFRY ROVERS proved too strong for an overmatched Taghmon-Camross in their Top Oil Intermediate A Hurling Championship quarter-final in Bree on Saturday afternoon last.
The Coolree boys were a little wasteful with the strong breeze in the first half and only held a seven-point lead at the change of ends (1-9 to 0-5) but they were superb against the elements in the second stanza to advance to the last four with plenty to spare.
On this form, no side left in the championship would relish a meeting with the Duffry. The beauty of their performance was that all areas of the field contributed. They particularly excelled defensively, allowing just the two points from play in the 60 minutes.
They got off to the perfect start too, within three minutes Duffry registered the game’s only major. Robert Frayne and Cian Fitzhenry combined in the build-up but the goal was all about the power of Gavin Rafter strike, it needed to be hit like a rocket as Jack Dunne got a hurl on it but couldn’t keep the sliothar out of the net.
Things settled after the early excitement and Taghmon would have been reasonably happy at the end of the first quarter. They were holding their own, with scores from Chris Cullen, Stephen O’Gorman and Ian Carty enough to have them just the goal down (1-3 to 0-3).
However, the Duffry had a purple patch that really should have seen them streak even further clear than they ended up. Cian Fitzhenry and Liam Pender notched frees, Cathal Clince nailed a lovely lineball and Alan O’Neill hit the target but they fired six wides in that spell and full-back Alan Nolan somehow kept Frayne shot from finding the rigging too.
The seven-point half-time lead failed to close at any stage in the third quarter.
Barry O’Gorman got a nice score and Cullen remained consistent from placed-balls but they were always responding to a Duffry score at the other end.
It was 1-14 to 0-9 when Luke Sinnott was given a straight red card for almost gutting Aidan Byrne with a vicious strike in the 50th minute. In truth, the game was already meandering to a conclusion and it didn’t really change anything.
Rovers continued to work the safe scores and they were far from flattered by the 13-point margin of victory at the end.
Duffry Rovers: Stephen Watchorn; Craig Casey, Donie Doyle, James Nolan; Thomas Dunne, Cathal Clince (0-4, 2 frees, 1 lineball), Aidan Byrne; Liam Pender (0-7, 5 frees), Johnny Flynn-O’Connor; Alan O’Neill (0-1), Eamonn Doyle (0-1), Rob Frayne; Gavin Rafter (1-0), Donie O’Connor, Cian Fitzhenry (0-6, 5 frees). Subs: Gavin Watchorn for Rafter (52).
Taghmon-Camross: Jack Dunne; David O’Keeffe, Alan Nolan, Mark O’Gorman; Adam Winters, Ian Carty (0-1 free), Stephen Stafford; Barry O’Gorman (0-1), Darren Carty; Chris Cullen (0-6 frees), Stephen O’Gorman (0-1), Shane Doyle; Michael O’Gorman, Pierce Doyle, Luke Sinnott. Subs. - Thomas Furlong for Michael O’Gorman (44), Barry Óg McGrath for P. Doyle (47).
Referee: David Jenkins (Gusserane).