Scoring ace Murphy stars for Horeswood
HORESWOOD MADE relatively hard work of what should have been a routine win over Tara Rocks in their Group A game in the Permanent TSB Junior hurling championship in Hollymount on Saturday.
The New Ross District side dominated throughout but struggled to put Tara Rocks to bed and may see the six-point winning margin as an unflattering summary of events.
It doesn’t take much to look at the squads and see the sizeable tally of 1-14 beside captain Declan Murphy’s name. Murphy was Horeswood’s talisman, and his constant stream of scores kept the reds in control, if not quite out of sight.
He scored six of Horeswood’s first eight minors, a tally only answered by two Rocks scores - albeit, one a goal, as Patrick Fortune struck past Eoin Mythen.
With nine first-half wides, a wasteful Horeswood were almost pegged into a battle by the break. Fortune raised the white flag this time around and Emmet O’Toole scored all of his points in the first-half.
It looked as if just one point would separate the sides at the break, until Declan Murphy caught and blasted home in injury time. That score proved to be vital, extending Horeswood’s lead to four (1-11 to 1-7).
The second-half continued in similar vein. With Horeswood almost exclusively happy to take their points, Declan Murphy continued to drive them on with some useful additions from Seán Stafford and Leigh O’Brien thrown in.
Tara Rocks hung in there with goals from two substitutes. Donnacha McDonald finished low before Luke Devitt prodded over the line after Wayne Farrell’s shot was saved.
What they lacked was what Horeswood had in abundance, a stream of points to keep them ticking over.
Two late points, from Eoin and Declan Murphy, put the result beyond doubt and elevated Horeswood to second in the table.
Horeswood: Eoin Mythen; Eamonn O’Sullivan, Shane O’Hanlon, Gavin Murphy; Danny Byrne (0-1), Barry Hearn (0-1 free), David Murphy; Paddy Murphy (0-1), David Larkin; Declan Murphy (capt., 1-14, 0-4 frees, 0-2 ‘65s), Leigh O’Brien (0-2), Seán Stafford (0-2); Damien Hearn, Eoin Murphy (0-1), John Bradley. Subs: Jim Wall for Bradley (45), Michael O’Hanlon for G. Murphy (52), Dylan Whitty for E. Murphy (57).
Tara Rocks: Lee Owley; Damien Tobin (capt.), Enda O’Leary, Shane Tobin; Shane O’Toole, Stephen Hughes (0-1), Rhys Owley; Gearóid O Súilleabháin (0-1), Colm Noctor; Emmet O’Toole (0-3), Mikey Byrne, Lorcan Clare; Colm O’Keeffe, Wayne Farrell, Patrick Fortune (1-4, 0-4 frees). Subs. - Donnacha McDonald (1-0) for Noctor (22), Luke Devitt (1-0) for Tobin (52), Seán Bardon for S. O’Toole (59), Liam McCarthy for O’Keeffe (60).
Referee: Paddy Campbell (Shelmaliers).