The Antrim Intermediate Camogie Team will attempt to secure a place in the Glen Dimplex Premier Junior All-Ireland Championship semi-finals when they host Limerick at Corrigan Park on Saturday.
Antrim needs to avoid defeat to ensure themselves of a place in the last four at the end of what has been an extremely positive campaign for the Saffrons. Here’s the story so far.
Coming into the campaign there will be have some optimism that a young team could make an impact on the All-Ireland stage but there was also an element of entering the unknown as most of the team didn’t have a great deal of experience at the intercounty level beyond the age-graded levels.
The league campaign was mixed with two wins and two defeats. Those defeats came against Cavan and Armagh who Antrim would end up taking on again in the Ulster Intermediate Championship. They were able to overturn the loss to Cavan to set up a final against Armagh but the Orchard County were too strong and ended up winning comfortably so the prospect of meeting them again in the Championship won’t have been welcomed by the Saffrons.
The campaign got off to a great start with a trip to Roscommon resulting in a 3-11 to 0-8 win. In the same round, Armagh laid down a marker by beating Limerick by 33 points. Antrim had the second round off due to this being a five-team group but once again, Armagh won easily against Down while Roscommon beat Limerick. In Round 3, Antrim took on Down in an Ulster derby. The Saffrons came out on top, recording a 3-13 to 0-8 win. Armagh kept up their 100% record with a big win over Roscommon.
Antrim returned to home soil for Round 4 against an Armagh team that had scored 12-72 in just three matches. Antrim used the wind well in the first half to open up a seven-point lead but Armagh showed their experience in the second half and turned the game around to secure a 1-18 to 1-16 win. While it was disappointing to lose out, it was another step forward for this young team and they should have nothing to fear for the rest of this competition. In the other group match, Limerick recorded a win over Down to keep their hopes alive of a place in the semi-finals.
As it stands, Armagh are through with four wins from four games. Antrim currently have six points while Limerick and Roscommon are both on three points. An Antrim draw would secure a place in the last four regardless of what else happens. If Limerick beat Antrim, then the group would come down to points difference. That win for Limerick would also open the door for Roscommon who would join Antrim and Limerick on six points if they beat Down. At present, Antrim have the superior points difference on +24 while Limerick are on -36 and Roscommon are on -35 so it would either take a big defeat for Antrim or a big win for Roscommon to deny the Saffrons.
Despite all the permutations, the simplest way to progress is to win the game and that’s exactly what Antrim will be setting out to do. They are more than good enough to win this game but having a big home support would only increase their chances and hopefully, Corrigan will be a Sea of Saffron on Saturday afternoon.
