Antrim lift the gloom with win against Down

National Camogie League – Division 1B

Down 1-8 Antrim 2-9

It may not have been a perfect performance, but considering the ‘shenanigans’ in the build-up to the game Antrim’s win over Down at Attacal on Saturday in the opening round of the National Camogie Leeague was a very welcome boost.

With Carl McCormick filling in for the management team who stepped down during the week the girls in Saffron did enough to get the vital win against a Down side who were well short of their strongest side. The first touch at times left a lot to be desired, but they showed a great fighting spirit for most of the game to win by four in the end and secure two vital league points.

**Annie Lynn fires in the second of her two goals against Down**

Antrim started the game and went on to dominate the first half with Annie Lynn playing the starring role at full forward, the Loughgiel star hitting 2-2 to help send her team to a 2-5 to 0-3 lead. Lynn and Maeve Kelly got the first two points of the game and though Down came back with a point from Aoife Murphy the Saffrons came back with two quick points to go 0-4 to 0-1 clear. Murphy pulled one back for Down from a free, but Annie Lynn gave the visitors a firm grip of the game with her first goal midway through the half. Maeve Kelly grabbed another point and when Lynn bagged goal number two on 23 minutes it all looked plain sailing for Antrim.

***The Mourne mountains forms a beautuful backdrop as Antrim come out for the second half at Attacal***

Trailing by 0-3 to 2-5 at half time Down made a great start to the second half when they grabbed a goal and a point inside the first minute of the new half to the gap back to four. A pointed free by Roisin McCormick and one from play by Annie Lynn eased the pressure a little but Down were playing well and two well taken points from Aoife McDowell and Grace Cunningham brought the gap back to four again.

Roisin McCormick and Down substitute Saoirse Sands exchanged points and kept the gap at four but when Christine Lavery came up from the back to send over from play the game looked safe. The excellent Grace Cunningham pulled another one back for Down to just on full time but four was as close as the home team would get.

ANTRIM

Caitriona Graham, Colleen Patterson, Caitlin Crawford, Evanne Martin, Erin Coulter, Caoimhe Conlon, Clare McKillop, Fionnuala Kelly, Anna McNeill, Maeve Kelly, Christine Laverty, Elen McIntosh, Roisin McCormick, Annie Lynn, Caitrin Dobbin.

Subs – Sara Fyfe for Elen McIntosh Emily Faloon for Maeve Kelly Maebh O’Neill for Fionnuala Kelly