All Ireland Minor B Camogie Championship
Antrim captain Ellen Hynds breaks from defence during the Saffron’s win over Westmeath in Aghoghill. Pic by Frank McCaughan.
Antrim 1-17 Westmeath 3-6
By Seamus McAleenan
As a result of this game in Ahoghill, Antrim now know their path towards retention of their All-Ireland minor B title. Following wins for Laois and Carlow in the other section, the All-Ireland semi-final line-up is complete with defending champions Antrim playing Carlow, while Westmeath will face Laois.
“It’s the first tough game we had,” said manager Carl McCormick. “We showed a bit of rustiness, but we also showed good commitment and good hurling and we came through strongly during the last quarter to take the win.
“I’d expect that we would see Westmeath again though, down the line. They are a good side.”
Antrim, playing against the stiff breeze, started very positively with points from Ciara Laverty, Roisin McCormick and Charley McCarry inside the first four minutes.
However any chance of complacency was knocked inside the next six minutes with Westmeath bursting through their defence for 2-2.
Ciara O’Looney started the run by picking up possession on the 40 and running straight through to blast home from 20 metres. Shiela McGrath added a point from a free before O’Looney repeated the doze, this time coming from a more acute angle and firing home unchallenged. McGrath again added the point, this time from open play and the visitors were 2-2 to 0-3 up.
However they couldn’t build on that and three Antrim points in succession from Maeve Kelly, Charley McCarry and Anna Connolly narrowed the gap between the reams on the quarter hour mark.
Shiela McGrath was unlucky with her shot coming off the base of the post during the following ten minutes when there was no change to the score-line.
Then Antrim shifted Anna Connolly into full-forward and she immediately fired across Niamh Mahoney to put the home side ahead.
However Westmeath finished strongly with Olivia Glynn, who had been switched to full-forward, picking up the sliotar in the square and hand-passing to the net.
Half-time : Antrim 1-6 Westmeath 3-2.
Antrim’s Maeve Kelly in action against Westmeath’s Olivia Glynn during their All Ireland Minor B Camogie Championship in Ahoghill. Pic by Frank McCaughan.
Westmeath held that advantage for the third quarter and even increased it with a point from Shiela McGrath on 43 minutes that could well have been a goal.
However Antrim were pressing strongly for the duration of the second half and eventually the breaks came, engineered by Maeve Kelly and Roisin McCormick with half-backs Ellen Hynds and Amy Boyle sealing the Westmeath passage to further scores.
McCormick, who had been moved to a two player full-forward line with Dearbhla Magill pointed in the 45th minute and added a 45 soon after.
Magill picked up a pass from Amy Boyle to level in the 48th and Maeve Kelly delivered two glorious efforts from the wing with McCormick shooting one in between. Suddenly Antrim were three up.
Ciara O’Looney pointed a free in reply, but Antrim finished strongly with points from McCormick (2) and Magill to put them top of the section.
Antrim : Aine Graham, Caitie McCaughan, Eilis Kearns, Emma Louise McAreavey, Méabh O’Neill, Ellen Hynds capt., Kathryn Mullan, Amy Boyle, M Kelly 0-4, Roisin McCormick 0-7, 0-4 frees, Dearbhla Magill 0-2, Anna Connolly 1-1, Charley McCarry 0-2, Maire Downey, C Laverty 0-1.
Subs : Carla McGarry for K Mullan (HT, Aoife Toner for A Connolly (46).
Westmeath : Niamh Mahoney, Orla Quinn, Chloe Butler, Emily McCabe, Aoife O’Malley, Maeve Scally, Lauren Sheridan, Eadaoin Dermody, Olivia Glynn 1-0, Ciara O’Looney 2-2, 0-2 frees, Shiela McGrath 0-3, 0-1 free, Megan Dowdall 0-1, Ava Balfe, Katie Coleman, Niamh Mullarkey.
Subs : Aoife Mullan for C Butler (HT), Sinead Murtagh for E Dermody (35), Rhona Cuffe for N Mullarkey (44)
Referee : Gary Donegan (Dublin)
Pics by Frank McCaughan