Doherty Wood Shavings Junior Championship
Tuesday 8th August
Prelim: Rasharkin v Brídíní Óga
Quarter-finals :
Wed 9th August Ahoghill v Loughgiel C (Ryan O’Reilly)
Wed 9th August St Enda’s v Armoy (Ref TBC)
Last week in both the adult camogie championship competitions it has been the home team that has prevailed. Will the trend continue this week.
One game was postponed last week; Rasharkin v Brídíní Óga Glenravel in the Doherty Wood Shavings Junior Championship shelved with the St Mary’s pitch waterlogged after heavy rain on Tuesday afternoon.
The pair will meet this Tuesday evening in Rasharkin and the home side will be favourites to knock-out the holders, who of course now have a Seconds’ team competing in the competition.
That means that the 15 who reached the Intermediate championship semi-finals on Friday evening plus a few others will not be eligible for this game, leaving them considerably weaker than in their league programme in which they lost to Rasharkin.
Still Danielle Scally, who recently returned from Qatar, Oonagh Ward and under 16s Molly Woulahan and Hannah McCann will backbone a fighting challenge from the Glenravel girls.
Rasharkin have Claire McCaughan in goals, good defenders in the O’Kane sisters (Noeleen and Shariffa) and promising attackers in Kerrie Darragh and Amy McMullan. They should make a quarter-final game against Gortnamona.
With last year’s beaten finalists Dunloy defeating a reasonably strong St Paul’s team 2-13 to 1-6 last week in a quarter-final, there are only two other Junior games this week, both on Wednesday evening where the home sides will be under pressure to progress.
Ahoghill made a strong start to the league, but examinations and injuries to a couple of key players didn’t help them build on that.
County minor goalie Caitriona Graham, who plays at midfield for her club team, is still carrying an injury and may be back on the goal-line for this one, meaning that cousin Noreen and under 16 player Maura Downey will carry the main scoring threat, while Eadaoin McGarry has been doing well at half-back.
However every season over the past decade Loughgiel have challenged for all three adult championships and, after a fine league campaign that saw them go through Division 3 undefeated, the visitors will be very difficult opposition.
Sarah Anne McGarry, Sinéad McAleese and Brona McIntyre have been stalwarts of this team for a few years now and they have the strong injection of youth in the likes of Rionagh McNaughton and a few of this season’s Antrim minor panel. That should be enough to overcome Ahoghill’s best efforts.
The last of the Junior ties sees two teams in the bottom half of Division 3 battling for a semi-final spot.
St Enda’s have re-entered camogie this season under Gavin Curran, with former players Maeve Curran and Carrie Berne providing the experience for the likes of Rebecca Monaghan, Nicola Norton and Enya Ross to progress their game. However Armoy has already defeated them this year and, with Marie Hamilton. Lucia McCormick, Niamh Butler and the Devlins (Ciara and Caitriona) playing well, they should reach the semis.
Darragh’s Joinery Antrim Intermediate Championship
Thursday 10th August Loughgiel : Loughgiel B v Creggan (Ref tbc)
Loughgiel are also involved in the last of the Darragh’s Joinery Antrim Intermediate Championship quarter-finals on Thursday evening. They travel down to Creggan in a repeat of the 2015 final (a close enough game that the Shamrocks shaded) with the winner set to face Ballycastle at the end of the month. On the face of it, Loughgiel, with a 100% record from their games in Division 2, should win this tie at a canter, but there are always a few imponderables with championship. Firstly the Shamrocks will lose a couple of players to the senior squad for the knock-out series while Creggan also tend to raise their game at this time of the year. Still the Loughgiel squad for this championship looks quite formidable with the likes of Eimear McGarry, Claire McKillop, Suzanne McKeown and Katie Lynn all available while under-age scoring sensation Charley McCarry looks set to take on adult camogie in the manner that older sister Racquel did a decade ago. Creggan will rely on Una McKeown to keep a clean sheet in goals with Ciara McAuley a strong presence in defence. Elsewhere there is experience in the form of Rubymarie rice and Fiona Maguire with Martine McCann and Alicia McAuley to add strength and determination.
There are also plenty of games in both the Under 14 and 16 championships
Monday 7th August
Under 16 A
in Cushendun : Cushendall v Brídíní Óga Ref Paul McSparron
Ballycastle v Loughgiel Ref Ryan O Reilly
Under 16 B
Rasharkin v Portglenone Ref V Boyle
Tír na nÓg v Gortnamona Ref Margaret O’Connell
Loch Mór Dál gCáis v St Johns Ref to be confirmed
Under 14A Championship
Saturday 12th
Portglenone v Ballycastle Ref James Totten
Dunloy v Loughgiel referee to be confirmed
Under 14 B
Thursday 10th 6.15pm : Glenravel : Brídíní Óga v Rossa
Saturday : Cushendall v Creggan Ref to be confirmed
Monday 14th 6pm in Toome : Cargin v Brídíní Óga Ref Harry Graham
Under 14 C
Home clubs provide referee in Group C
Wednesday 9th August
Ahoghill v Loch Mór Dál gCáis
Carnlough v St Enda’s
Gortnamona v Moneyglass
Tír na nÓg v St John’s
Saturday 12th August
Loch Mór Dál gCáis v St Enda’s
Carnlough v Ahoghill
St John’s v Moneyglass
Gortnamona v Tír na nÓg