Ulster Minor Camogie Championship
Antrim 6-17 Armagh 0-8
ANTRIM were always likely to win this semi-final by the margin they finally did given the performances of the teams in the recent All-Ireland championship.
However it was Armagh that opened the scoring with the excellent Sinéad Quinn popping over a point inside the first minute. Even after Clodagh McPeake had forced home a goal for Antrim in the third minute, Quinn responded with a point.
However once Antrim began to add to the goal with a series of scores, the visitors became over-reliant on the Derrynoose forward and she was their only scorer for them right up until the 58th minute when sub Clara O’Neill tagged on a point after Quinn’s effort came off a post.
Antrim had far more options up front, with Clodagh McPeake, Eavanne Martin and Cassie McArthur all a threat before Anna McKillop bagged a goal and two points in the five minutes before half time.
By that point McPeake was on 1-2, McArthur and Eimear Johnstone had goals apiece and Martin had hit three points.
Quinn was on six points for Armagh and she added her seventh score from a free on the re-start, before Cassie McArthur took off with three points ahead of her second goal in the 41st minute.
That score put Antrim 5-12 to 0-7 ahead and she added another goal and two points before she made way for Monique O’Boyle in the 51st minute.
Antrim were comfortable in defence and had a regular supply of ball into the forward line throughout. They used their full complement of subs during the second half and one of them, Elen McIntosh, added two late points to remind management that she had plenty to offer.
In the other semi-final in Portaferry, Derry defeated Down by 4-18 to 4-5 to set up the final next Sunday.
Antrim: L Mulholland, A Donnelly, A McNeill, N Neeson, E Coulter, K Molloy, S Fyfe, F McIntosh, J McIntosh, E Johnstone 1-0, E Martin 0-4 (2fs), Ciara Connolly, Clodagh McPeake 1-3, Cassie McArthur 3-5 (2fs), Anna McKillop 1-2
Subs: S Woodhouse for E Martin (35), N Graham for C Connolly (35), E O’Neill for L Mulholland (47), G Kearns for A Donnelly (47), E McIntosh 0-2 for A McKillop (51),
Armagh: S Califf, S McGeary, A Byrne, M Crilly, L Loughran, A McEntee, M O’Hare, T White, A Farrell, KM Rafferty, S Quinn 0-7 (5fs), R Boden, A Barrett, S McKinley, R Grew.
Subs: C Traynor for A Barrett (47), C O’Neill 0-1 for S McKinley (47), E Rice for R Grew (47).
Referee: M McToal (Derry)