Shels record a superb tally
Trouble mounts for Alley
SHELMALIERS BUFFERS ALLEY 4-21 1-17
SHELMALIERS RACKED up 4-21 for the second time this season as they coasted away from Buffers Alley on their way to a second Pettitt’s Senior hurling championship Group A win at Innovate Wexford Park on Monday of last week.
The Hollymount side have four points on the board after this 13-point success and should wrap up their quarter-final spot if they can get the better of St. Anne’s next time out.
Not for the first time this season, Ross Banville proved the go-to man. The teenager ran up an incredible personal haul of 1-17, including a perfect twelve deadballs from all manner of distances and angles.
The fact that his scoring tally matched that of the Alley in total only goes some way to explaining this game. Shels were reliant on their young guns, with Conor Hearne throwing in 1-2 as well, but it was the hard work of others, creating chances and winning frees, that was just as vital.
Banville kicked off the game with the first two of his haul but the Alley hit back with all three in the starting full-forward line on the board to open up a 0-3 to 0-2 lead.
However, in the ninth minute Conor Hearne robbed the ball from Darren O’Brien as he attempted to make space to clear and sent it back to the net.
The Monamolin side had worked their way back to parity by the 19th minute after a fine score from Pat Doran from the right wing. However, Shelmaliers were starting to pick up frees and Banville was proving unerringly accurate.
Shane Grannell levelled the contest for the fourth time in the 25th minute but Shelmaliers finished the half on the front foot. Banville scored four dead-balls and Hearne also hit the target to send them in leading by 1-10 to 0-9.
A pair of Andrew Kenny points at the start of the second-half allowed the Gorey District side to keep pace for a few minutes. However, eleven minutes with the breeze but without a score, leading into the final quarter, left them with a mountain to climb.
Simon Donohoe became just the third Shels player to register in that spell when he made it 1-15 to 0-11.
After the lead swelled to nine, the Alley did produce a mini-revival, scoring five of six points, two of which came from Paul O’Leary, to close within five.
Eoghan Nolan looked to have shut down that purple patch when he took Conor Walsh’s crossfield ball, rounded his marker and flashed a rocket past Darren O’Brien.
However, the Alley puck-out landed with Andrew Kenny, and he made space for himself and rattled the net.
The goal did very little to slow Shelmaliers and they outscored their opponents by 2-3 to 0-1 in the time remaining. Banville got his goal from Brian Malone’s clever handpass, and Nolan netted a second from Conor Hearne’s long feed to wrap up the win.
While the Shels seem to be on their way to the knockout stages, Buffers Alley have a huge game against Faythe Harriers in the next round. There’s a very decent chance that the loser of that game will end up in a relegation final, and that’s something neither will want to contemplate.
Shelmaliers: Adam Howlin; Andre O’Brien, Eoin Doyle, Craig Parker; Conor Walsh, Aidan Cash, Jody Donohoe; Ciarán O’Shaughnessy, Simon Donohoe (0-1); Eoghan Nolan (2-0), Brian Malone (capt.), James Cash; Ross Banville (1-17, 0-12 frees), Joe Kelly, Conor Hearne (1-2). Sub. - Conor Byrne (0-1) for Kelly (49).
Buffers Alley: Darran O’Brien; Conor Kenny, Ciarán Kenny (capt.), Barry Kenny; Paudie Reidy, Seán Murphy, Bobby Kenny; Ciarán Murphy, Kevin Roche; Pat Kenny (0-2), Willie Doran, Shane Grannell (0-1); Paul O’Leary (0-6 frees), Cormac Foley (0-2), Andrew Kenny (1-5, 0-1 free). Subs. - Robert O’Leary for Bobby Kenny, inj. (3), Páraic Roche (0-1) for Ciarán Kenny (42), Thomas Dempsey for Barry Kenny (50).
Referee: Justin Heffernan (Blackwater). TAGHMON-CAMROSS looked impressive as they steam-rolled St. Patrick’s in the Top Oil Intermediate ‘A’ hurling championship Group A in Oylegate on Tuesday.
Although it is still very early in the competition, initial indications are very positive for what appears to be an organised and well-oiled Taghmon-Camross machine.
Their opposition, St. Patrick’s, were at their most competitive in the first-half of the game, but despite this, Taghmon-Camross entered the interval with a fourpoint advantage.
It was an opening period dominated by the white flag as Taghmon-Camross knocked over 13 points to their rivals’ nine.
Barry O’Gorman, Cathal Doyle and Chris Cullen contributed eleven of the Taghmon-Camross minors while Tomás Morris was St. Pat’s main man, scoring over half of his side’s tally.
Taghmon-Camross took it up a gear after the re-start as they turned a four-point lead into a 15-point demolition.
They hit the ground running and Luke Sinnott finished low into the net just moments after the re-start.
Barry O’Gorman had added another minor before a Tomás Morris penalty in the 37th minute momentarily halted the Taghmon-Camross progress, finishing high to cut St. Patrick’s deficit to three (1-14 to 1-11)
But, from there it was one-way traffic. St. Pat’s only managed two more scores, through Tomás and Tommy Morris, as Taghmon-Camross ran riot.
Cullen pointed moments prior to Darren Carty’s finish into the bottom left corner, as they quickly opened up a three-score lead (215 to 1-11).
Doyle, Sinnott and Thomas Furlong had all added points before Taghmon-Camross raised their third and final green flag of the evening, with Darren Hayden needing the help of the post as his strike crept over the goal-line.
They continued to run up the scores into injury time, and Doyle added his side’s final three points as he added further gloss to an already impressive tally.
That’s three wins from three for Taghmon-Camross, and it is enough to ensure them safe passage to the quarter-final stage.
Taghmon-Camross: Jack Dunne; David O’Keeffe, Alan Nolan, Mark O’Gorman; Stephen Stafford, Ian Carty (capt., 0-1), Shane Doyle (0-1); Chris Cullen (0-4, 3 frees), Darren Carty (10); Thomas Furlong (0-1), Barry O’Gorman (0-5), Darren Hayden (1-0); Luke Sinnott (1-3), Stephen O’Gorman, Cathal Doyle (0-7, 5 frees). Subs. - Shane Lacey for I. Carty (55), Stephen O’Keeffe for M. O’Gorman (60).
St. Patrick’s: Stuart Quinn; Brian Cadigan, Joe Cousins, Peter Roche; Hughie Doyle (capt.), Richie Flood, Daryl Murphy; Tommy Morris (0-1), Paul McDonald; Shane Finn (0-2), Michael O’Brien (0-1), Stephen Ryan; Tomás Morris (1-7, 0-5 frees, 1-0 pen.), Tommy Dunne (0-2), Niall O’Brien. Subs. - Andrew Doyle for Flood (50), Ashley Tully for McDonald (58).
Referee: Brendan Holohan (Rathgarogue-Cushinstown).