By Séamas McAleenan
The final round of group games will be played in the Antrim Senior championship tomorrow night (Tuesday) and again the winners are fairly predictable.
Loughgiel ran up 5-25 last week against Portglenone and it will be a surprise if they are not comfortable once more when they host Cushendall in Fr Healy Park tonight (7pm).
The Shamrocks’ half-back line tied down the opposition and there was tremendous fluency in their attack with the front eight players all getting on the score-sheet.
By contrast when Cushendall beat Portglenone a fortnight ago in the opening round of fixtures, Orlagh O’Hara’s 1-11 was badly needed to bring them over the line. She is a good focal point for the attack, but against a team like Loughgiel they need to be able to vary the play more – as they found out in last year’s final defeat.Both teams are through to the semi-finals anyway. But a win for Loughgiel would leave Cushendall lined up against Ballycastle in next month’s semi-final, while the Shamrocks will face the winner from the other game in Dunloy where Rossa are visitors.
Rossa stayed with Ballycastle until after the break in last week’s game, but fell away then to a 0-14 to 0-6 defeat, weakened by an injury to Orlagh McCaul.
Dunloy have had two weeks to lick their wounds after the conceded 1-1 in injury time to lose by a point to Ballycastle. That was their first defeat this year to a team other than Loughgiel and they are expected to bounce back tonight with a convincing win.
Defeat for Rossa will leave them in the Shield final against Portglenone at the weekend.
Meanwhile both last year’s finalists crashed out of the Junior championship at the weekend and there is renewed interest in the semi-finals.
Tomorrow evening (Wednesday) Gortnamona and Creggan meet at Páirc Naomh Éanna in Glengormley – and really either team could claim a spot in the final.
Creggan won both league encounters narrowly with Ruby Marie Rice pinching key goals. Ruby didn’t play in the quarter-final win in Glenravel last Friday however and that swings the game in Gort’s favour if they can get enough scores out of the Enright sisters and veteran Danielle Hughes.
Ahoghill have probably installed themselves as competition favourites though after knocking out holders Loughgiel on a convincing 4-11 to 1-3 score-line with Noreen Graham grabbing a hat-trick.
Armoy sit in their way of a final spot now, but given the results from the league fixtures between the two, Ahoghill should come through.
The Junior Shield semi-finals are on Thursday, when Portglenone should beat Cushendall, and then Friday when St Paul’s go through the gate at the bottom of the pitch to take on Sarsfield’s.
There are also four finals at under 14 level on Saturday.
SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP
Tuesday 7pm :
Loughgiel v Cushendall
Dunloy v Rossa
SEMI-FINALS (Neutral Venues)
Tuesday 10th September
Ballycastle v Second-placed Team in Group 2
First-placed Team in Group 2 v Second-placed Team in Group 1
Semi-final replays on Saturday 14th September or Sunday 15th September
SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL (Neutral Venue)
Saturday 28th September
Replay on Saturday 5th October
SENIOR SHIELD FINAL (Neutral Venue)
Saturday 31st August
Replay on Saturday 28th September
Third-placed Team in Group 1 v Portglenone
JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP
SEMI-FINALS
Wednesday 28th August (6.45pm throw in) Páirc Naomh Éanna
Gort na Mona v Creggan
Saturday 31st August
Armoy v Ahoghill – Venue and Time TBC
FINAL (Neutral Venue)
Saturday 14th September
Replays Monday 16th September
Winner of SF 1 v Winner of SF 2
Junior Shield
SEMI-FINALS
Thursday 6.45pm Cushendall v Portglenone
Friday in Sarsfield’s 6.45pm : Sarsfield’s v St Paul’s
FINAL
Saturday 14th September
Replays Monday 16th September
Winner of SF 1 v Winner of SF 2
U14 CHAMPIONSHIP 1A
SEMI-FINAL
Wednesday 7pm : Brídíní Óga Glenravel v Loughgiel
FINAL
Saturday 31st August (Neutral Venue)
Replay on or before Saturday 7th September
Ballycastle v Winner of SF 2
U14 CHAMPIONSHIP 1B
SEMI-FINAL
Tuesday 27th at 7pm
Replay on Wednesday 28th August
Rasharkin v Cargin
FINAL
Saturday 31st August (Neutral Venue)
Replay on or before Saturday 7th September
Creggan v Winner of SF 2
U14 CHAMPIONSHIP 2A
FINAL
Saturday 31st August (Neutral Venue – TBC)
Replay on or before Saturday 7th September
St Paul’s v Ahoghill
U14 CHAMPIONSHIP 2B
SEMI-FINAL
7pm Mon 26th : St Enda’s v Glenavy-Loch Mór
FINAL
Saturday 31st August (Neutral Venue)
Replay on or before Saturday 7th September
Gort na Móna v Winner of SF 2
Championship Games this week in Antrim
U14 CHAMPIONSHIP 1B SEMI-FINAL
Tuesday 27th August, 7pm
In Rasharkin : Rasharkin v Cargin
SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP
Round 3 : Tuesday 27th August, 7pm
In Dunloy : Dunloy v Rossa
In Loughgiel : Loughgiel v Cushendall
U14 CHAMPIONSHIP 1A SEMI-FINAL
Wednesday 7pm in Glenravel :
Brídíní Óga Glenravel v Loughgiel
JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP SEMI-FINAL
Wednesday 6.45pm in Páirc Naomh Éanna, Glengormley :
Gort na Móna v Creggan
Junior Shield SEMI-FINAL
Thursday 6.45pm in Cloughmills :
Cushendall v Portglenone
Junior Shield SEMI-FINAL
Friday 6.45pm in Sarsfield’s :
Sarsfield’s v St Paul’s
U14 CHAMPIONSHIP 1B FINAL
Saturday 31st August
Randalstown, 10.30 am :
Creggan v Rasharkin or Cargin
U14 CHAMPIONSHIP 2A FINAL
Saturday 31st August
Randalstown, 11.45 am :
St Paul’s v Ahoghill
U14 CHAMPIONSHIP 2B FINAL
Saturday 31st August, 11am
Venue TBC
Gort na Móna v St Enda’s / Glenavy-Loch Mór
Antrim SENIOR SHIELD FINAL
Saturday 31st August
In Ballymena, 4.30pm
Third-placed Team in Group 1 v Portglenone
JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP SEMI-FINAL
Saturday 31st August
In Ballymena, 6pm:
Armoy v Ahoghill
U16 CHAMPIONSHIP 1B FINAL
Sunday 1st September
In Glenravel 12pm:
Portglenone v Brídíní Óga Glenravel
U16 CHAMPIONSHIP 1A FINAL
Monday 2nd September
In Cloughmills 6.45pm :
Loughgiel v Dunloy
U16 CHAMPIONSHIP 2A FINAL
Monday 2nd September
Portglenone, 6.45pm :
Creggan v Rasharkin
U16 CHAMPIONSHIP 2B FINAL
Thursday 5th September 6.45pm (Venue TBC)
Moneyglass v St Paul’s-Loch Mór Dál gCáis
ANTRIM INTERMEDIATE CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL
Thursday 5th September
Ahoghill, 6.30pm : Brídíní Óga Glenravel v Loughgiel
ANTRIM Intermediate Shield final
Thursday 5th September 6.45pm – Venue and Time TBC
Dunloy v Ballycastle