Goals don’t always win games as Harps can attest to having lost out to Camross
Mark Dowling (Camross) playing for a score as Ciaran Flynn (Harps) rushes to block in their SHC Rd 1 game at Laois Hire O'Moore Park Photo: Denis Byrne
Laois Shopping Centre Senior Hurling Championship Rd 1
Camross 2-31
The Harps 5-16
CAMROSS are off to a winning start in the 2026 Laois Shopping Centre SHC after coming out on top against The Harps in a thriller on Saturday evening.
There was a total of 54 scores in the game and though it felt like there was more in it at times, Camross came out on top by six points.
A worry for them going forward will no doubt be the fact that The Harps raised five green flags, with Justin Duggan hitting the net three times in a spectacular performance.
James Duggan was out of action for The Harps with a pulled hamstring, but despite the loss of him they were very potent in attack with Duggan, Mikey Monahan and Eoin Delaney making up for an electric inside line.
Mossy Keyes was excellent for Camross with eight points from play, while Eoin Gaughan bossed the midfield battle and much of their promising attacks came from that region with Tom Cuddy also impressing at half-back.
The porous backline will be a worry going forward for Camross, but they were very incisive going forward and their shooting was incredibly accurate for the most part.
It took just ten seconds for Eoin Gaughan to register the opening score of the game and Mossy Keyes followed within the first minute to double the Camross lead.
Ciaran Comerford and Eoghan Murphy slotted from dead balls for The Harps in the opening minutes, but Camross continued to have the upper hand with James Cuddy, Zane Keenan, Odhran Phelan and Tom Cuddy all on target.
The Harps came roaring back when Mikey Monahan and Justin Duggan pressed high up on the Camross full back line and the ball broke out to Duggan who tore inside and finished for a goal.
Camross came firing back immediately with points from Tom Cuddy, Keyes and Dan Delaney became their seventh different scorer from the nine points scored.
A blistering two minutes of play from The Harps saw them draw level by the 18th minute with points from Duggan, Eoin Delaney and an excellent quick double from Ciaran Comerford.
Momentum swung back in favour of the men in black and amber after that lull and they hit three in succession from Keenan, Ciaran Collier and Keyes before a reply from Comerford.
The Harps took the lead for the first time when Monahan did well to field a high ball and lay if off to the advancing Duggan who again expertly found the inside corner of the net.
Their lead was increased to two when Monahan took a nice point, but it was short lived when Camross came back strong with a trio of points from Keyes, James Cuddy and a long free from Eoin Gaughan.
Eoghan Murphy landed the two points of the day from midfield for The Harps towards he end of the half, but Camross piled on the pressure with a brace of scores from Eoin Gaughan and a fifth by Keyes before Dowling struck hard deep in injury time when he latched onto a clearance and took it from the endline in on top of Bobby Murphy and lashed it into the net to make it 1-18 to 2-10 at half time.
Early scores from Keenan, Gaughan, Phelan and Keyes increased the Camross lead even further at the opening of the second half, while The Harps registered a couple of poor misses from placed balls.
Comerford eventually got The Harps off the mark with a couple of frees, but he was bettered by Gearoid Burke, Dowling and Keyes before The Harps found their way in for a third goal when Podge Delaney launched a ball down on top of Monahan and once again he won possession, but this time elected to rattle the net himself.
SCORERS:
Camross: Mossy Keyes 0-8, Mark Dowling 1-1, Eoin Gaughan 0-6 (0-3fs), Zane Keenan 0-5 (0-4fs), Ciaran Collier 1-1, James Cuddy, Tom Cuddy and Odhran Phelan 0-2 each, Gearoid Burke, Darren Drennan and Dan Delaney 0-1 each.
The Harps: Justin Duggan 3-1, Ciaran Comerford 0-7 (0-3fs), Eoghan Murphy 0-5 (0-1 65), Mikey Monahan 1-1, Podge Delaney 1-0 (pen), Eoin Delaney and Cody Comerford 0-1 each.
CAMROSS: Tadhg Doran; Dwane Palmer, Darragh Duggan, Aaron Carroll; Eoghan Cuddy, Cathal Cuddy, Tom Cuddy; Eoin Gaughan, Odhran Phelan; Zane Keenan, Ciaran Collier, Dan Delaney; Tomas Keyes, Mark Dowling, James Cuddy.
Subs: Gearoid Burke for Delaney (41m), Conor Mortimer for Palmer (46m), Darren Drennan for J Cuddy (53m), Liam Delaney for Phelan (59m).
THE HARPS: Bobby Murphy; Donal Deegan, Ciaran Flynn, Cody Comerford; Jack Kennedy, Podge Delaney, Eoghan Murphy; Tiarnach Doheny, Padraic Dunne; Tony Mahony, Ciaran Comerford, Ross Deegan; Justin Duggan, Mikey Monahan, Eoin Delaney.
Subs: Rian Edwards for T Doheny (ht), John Brophy for Delaney (40m), John Brophy for Delaney (41m), Liam Kirby for Mahony (54m), Rory Dunne for D Deegan (55m).
Referee: John Lalor (Shanahoe)
