O’Gorman goal vital

Taghmon-Camross topple the Shels

AN EXCELLENT Stephen O’Gorman 46th-minute goal proved the decisive score as it enabled Taghmon-Camross to move on to an eventual four-point victory over Shelmaliers in this exciting Top Oil Intermediate ‘A’ hurling championship Group B game in Killurin on Sunday.

For most of the 60 minutes very little separated the sides, so it was always going to take something special to separate two evenly-balanced teams. This arrived in the 46th minute when O’Gorman seemed to have created an impossible angle to the right of goal but he somehow managed to squeeze an unstoppable shot between ‘keeper Adam Howlin and his near post to finish in the opposite corner of the net, a goal that proved decisive in the destination of the points.

Shelmaliers, playing with the breeze, led by 0-4 to 0-1 after just eight minutes with three of their points courtesy of midfielder Eoin Doyle, while Ronan Kavanagh added a fourth, with Chris Cullen pointing a free in between for the opposition.

Through the second quarter very little separated the sides as the eventual winners kept in touch through points from Cullen, Darren Carty and Stephen O’Gorman, while efforts from Joe Kelly, Tommy Barron and Graham Staples left the Shels with an 0-8 to 0-7 interval lead.

Two early second-half points from a long Ian Carty free and Shane Leacy edged Taghmon-Camross in front, and they still led by 0-11 to 0-10 entering the final quarter when O’Gorman struck for that all-important goal to give his side a four-point advantage.

While the Shels managed to create opportunities, goal attempts from Joe Kelly and Brian Doyle were excellently saved by Seán O’Gorman to keep his net intact.

As both sides battled for scores, an Adam Winters point closed out the scoring, leaving Taghmon-Camross with two crucial points to keep their championship prospects intact.

Taghmon-Camross: Seán O’Gorman; David O’Keeffe, Alan Nolan, Mark O’Gorman; Stephen Stafford, Ian Carty (0-2, 1 free), Barry Og McGrath; Barry O’Gorman, Darren Carty (0-2); Thomas Furlong (0-1), Chris Cullen (0-5 frees), Shane Doyle; Luke Sinnott, Stephen O’Gorman (1-3), Shane Leacy (0-1). Sub. - Adam Winters (0-1) for Sinnott.

Shelmaliers: Adam Howlin; Emmet O’Leary, Kevin O’Leary, Eoghan Fitzgerald; Cian Manley, Aidan Murphy, Craig Parker; Denis Kelly, Eoin Doyle (0-4); Ronan Kavanagh (0-1), Graham Staples (0-1), Tommy Barron (0-2); Seán Keane-Carroll, Joe Kelly (0-6, 4 frees, 1 ‘65), Liam Rockett. Subs. - Barry O’Connor for Fitzgerald, Brian Doyle for Staples, Kyle Roche for D. Kelly, Johnny Campbell for Rockett.

Referee: Kevin Kehoe (Our Lady’s Island).