HISTORY MAKERS! The Harps ease past Camross to win first-ever Laois Senior Hurling championship
It’s the club’s first Bob O’Keeffe Cup in their 42-year history since Durrow and Cullohill joined forces in 1982
The Harps are the 2026 Laois Senior Hurling champions and, in doing so, have won the club’s first-ever Laois SHC title in the club’s 42-year history.
They blew Camross away in Sunday’s final, beating them by 16 points to get their hands and their name on the Bob O’Keeffe Cup for the first time ever.
The Harps were the better team from start to finish and never let Camross get a foothold at any stage. Every Harps player won their individual battle on the day and it showed on the scoreboard, 2-23 to 0-13.
James Cuddy was the scorer of the first point as he split the posts with 90 seconds on the clock. The Harps responded with three points in a row. Ciaran Comerford pointed their first from a free before Justin Duggan got their first point from play. Down the other end, Podge Delaney made up a fair amount of ground to hook Mossy Keyes as he ran towards goal.
Ciaran Comerford was fouled for The Harps’ third score with him pointing the resulting free. Eoin Gaughan cut the gap to one point, but The Harps made it four points to two after Camross hand-passed the ball straight to Rian Edwards, who split the posts. Half-back Tom Cuddy scored a splendid point from his own 45 to put a point between the sides.
However, The Harps began to get on top and they scored the next 1-3 without reply to put themselves in a great position after 17 minutes. Their goal came from the hurl of Ross Deegan after the ball fell his way after Hugh Whelan was hooked as he went to strike. Padraic Dunne, an Eoghan Murphy free and a Whelan-assisted James Duggan were the ones to get the points. Camross got the next two scores as captain Cathal Cuddy pointed from centre-back before he set up Mark Dowling to point.
Camross had Tadhg Doran to thank shortly after as he made a superb double save, firstly from Padraic Dunne and then he saved the rebound from James Duggan. The Harps went eight points up with four minutes of the half remaining thanks to points from Eoin Delaney (2) and Eoghan Murphy (free). Delaney’s second point almost ended up in the goal, but it flew over the crossbar instead.
Ciaran Collier and Comerford traded scores before Camross ended the half with two points. Gaughan scored a 65, which came after Zane Keenan’s 21-yard free was saved by Bobby Murphy. Keenan scored a free to send Camross into the dressing rooms behind by six points, 1-11 to The Harps, 0-8 to Camross.
Eoghan Murphy and Justin Duggan increased Harps’ lead after the restart with a point each. Keenan tapped over his second free before Ciaran Comerford replied down the other end for the champions. Mossy Keyes got his first and only score of the final.
The game was firmly put to bed in the next five minutes as The Harps scored 1-3 unanswered to go 13 points ahead with a quarter of an hour still to play. Hugh Whelan kickstarted that run before Ross Deegan’s blocked effort ran through to Justin Duggan and he smashed the ball past Doran.
Whelan and another Comerford free put The Harps in dreamland with them watching the clock slowly tick down to crown them champions. In the middle of all that, Cody Comerford made a great block to deny Mossy Keyes a goal and with Keyes being fouled in the process, Keenan took the free that came after and Comerford blocked that too.
Keenan (free) and Collier fired over a point each for Camross, but Justin Duggan kept the scoreboard ticking for The Harps. Camross’ last score came with 10 minutes to play through a Keenan free.
The Harps got the last five scores of the final to win by 13 points in the end. Eoin Delaney, two from James Duggan (his second one-handed), Comerford (free) and Eoghan Murphy (free).
The Laois champions will take on the Kilkenny champions in the Leinster Club Championship on Sunday, November 8.
FINAL SCORE
THE HAROS 2-23
CAMROSS 0-13
SCORERS - The Harps: Ciaran Comerford 0-6 (0-5 frees), Justin Duggan 1-3, Eoghan Murphy 0-4 (0-1 free), James Duggan and Eoin Delaney 0-3 each, Ross Deegan 1-0, Hugh Whelan 0-2, Rian Edwards and Padraic Dunne 0-1 each. Camross: Zane Keenan 0-4 (frees), Eoin Gaughan (0-1 65) and Ciaran Collier 0-2 each, James Cuddy, Tom Cuddy, Cathal Cuddy, Mark Dowling and Tomas Keyes 0-1 each
CAMROSS: Tadhg Doran; Conor Mortimer, Darragh Duggan, Aaron Carroll; Eoghan Cuddy, Cathal Cuddy, Tom Cuddy; Eoin Gaughan, Liam Delaney; Tomas Keyes, Ciaran Collier, Odhrán Phelan; Darren Drennan, Mark Dowling, James Cuddy. Subs: Zane Keenan for Phelan (28 mins), Gearoid Burke for Delaney (HT), Oisin Bennett for Drennan (45 mins), Daniel Delaney for James Cuddy (52 mins)
THE HARPS: Bobby Murphy; Eoghan Doheny, Cody Comerford, Jack Kennedy; Ciaran Flynn, Podge Delaney, Eoghan Murphy; Rian Edwards, Padraic Dunne; Ross Deegan, Ciaran Comerford, Eoin Delaney; Justin Duggan, Hugh Whelan, James Duggan. Subs: Tiarnach Doheny for P Delaney (Blood 43-46 mins), Tiarnach Doheny for Edwards (51 mins), Mark Downey for Whelan (52 mins), John Brophy for E Delaney (59 mins), Tony Mahony for Justin Duggan and Mikey Monahan for Deegan (Both 60 mins)
Referee: John Lalor (Shanahoe)