Clough-Ballacolla too strong for Camross to secure a fifth Bob O’Keefe Cup in six years

The Bob O’Keefe Cup will remain in Clough-Ballacolla for at least another year after they got the better of Camross in Sunday’s Laois SHC County Final.

Stephen Bergin was the star of the show, finishing with 1-13, while the loudest roar of the day came when Picky Maher made his long-awaited return from an ACL injury.

Camross centre-back Eoin Gaughan opened the scoring inside the first minute with a fine effort between the posts. Bergin replied moments later to get the reigning champions off the mark. Clough-Ballacolla then gifted Camross their second point when they were penalised for overcarrying, allowing Zane Keenan to open his account.

A second free from Bergin followed before Camross hit two in a row through Mossy Keyes and James Cuddy, but Clough-Ballacolla responded in kind via Jordan Walshe and Aidan Corby.

Camross went ahead in the 12th minute when Keenan split the posts from a 65’. From there, Clough-Ballacolla took control, and their next attack yielded the game’s first goal. Walshe dropped a high ball into the danger area, where Willie Dunphy gathered and rifled past Tadhg Doran. Bergin added his first point from play soon after as Willie Hyland’s side led by three after 14 minutes.

Their lead didn’t last long, as Keenan stepped up to a 21-yard free and blasted it to the net past Cathal Dunne. But Clough-Ballacolla responded emphatically, hitting 1-3 without reply, all from the stick of Bergin. By that stage, he had 1-5 to his name, the same tally as Camross.

Bergin’s goal was pure route-one hurling: Cathal Dunne sent a long delivery to his brother Cillian, who offloaded perfectly for Bergin to finish low past Doran. The game remained open and lively, and Keenan struck again for his second goal to bring Camross right back into it. The half ended with Bergin (free) and Mark Dowling trading scores, leaving Clough-Ballacolla ahead 2-9 to 2-6 at the break.

The second half proved more stop-start, dominated by frees as Bergin and Keenan continued their duel from placed balls. Bergin opened the scoring before the pair exchanged further frees. Walshe added his second point to stretch the lead to five by the 37th minute.

Keenan replied with another free, but Cillian Dunne produced one of the scores of the day with a superb strike from the terrace side of Laois Hire O’Moore Park.

Both sides kept the scoreboard ticking through frees, with Bergin and Keenan adding to their tallies. Camross struggled to find scores from play, managing just one in the second half, a fine effort from half-back Eoghan Cuddy.

Walshe was again on target after neat link-up play between Diarmaid Conway and Cillian Dunne. The Clough-Ballacolla supporters rose to their feet in the 53rd minute as Picky Maher made his long-awaited return, greeted by a huge cheer.

He made an immediate impact, setting up substitute Joe Corby for a point. Bergin then added his 13th point from a free before Maher took centre stage, landing a monster free from inside his own 45’. Moments later, he capped his comeback with a superb point from play, the final score of the game.

Clough-Ballacolla will now host the Westmeath champions in Portlaoise in three weeks’ time. That will be either Castletown-Geoghegan or Lough Lene Gaels, after their clash in Mullingar on Sunday ended all square.

SCORERS- Clough-Ballacolla: Stephen Bergin 1-13 (0-9 frees), Jordan Walshe 0-3, Willie Dunphy 1-0, Picky Maher 0-2 (0-1 free), Cillian Dunne, Aidan Corby and Joe Corby 0-1 each. Camross: Zane Keenan 2-10 (1-9 frees, 0-1 65), James Cuddy, Eoin Gaughan, Eoghan Cuddy, Tomas Keyes and James Cuddy 0-1 each.

CLOUGH-BALLACOLLA: Cathal Dunne; Diarmaid Conway, Darren Maher, Joseph Pearson; Lochlainn Conway, Lee Cleere, Brian Corby; Aidan Corby, Cormac Hogan; Mark Hennessy, Jordan Walshe, Kevin Mulhall; Cillian Dunne, Willie Dunphy, Stephen Bergin Subs: Joe Corby for Dunphy (44 mins), Stephen Maher for Hennessy (53 mins), Brian Corby for Doyle (60 mins), Padraigh Brennan for Cillian Dunne (62 mins), Kevin Hyland for Bergin (63 mins)

CAMROSS: Tadhg Doran; Darragh Duggan, Cathal Cuddy, Joseph Phelan; Eoin Dowling, Eoin Gaughan, Eoghan Cuddy; Odhran Phelan, Liam Delaney; Ciaran Collier. Tom Cuddy, Zane Keenan; Tomas Keyes, James Cuddy, Mark Dowling. Subs: Dwane Palmer for J Phelan (40 mins), Darren Drennan for J Cuddy (47 mins), Ashton Keenan for O Phelan (52 mins), Andrew Collier for T Cuddy (59 mins)

Referee: Kieran Bowe (Rathdowney-Errill)