Armagh City Hotel Ulster Senior Camogie Championship semi-finals
Antrim 0-15 Down 0-13
Antrim Camogs were pushed to the pin of their collars before squeezing past Down in an entertaining Ulster Senior Camogie semi-final at Fr Healy Park, Loughgiel on Sunday. Leading by two points going into injury time the Down supporters must have felt their team were set to snatch victory when Beth Fitzpatrick got on the end of a long delivery into the Antrim danger area, but to the great relief of the home crowd the Saffrons shot stopper Catriona Graham produced a brilliant save when she dived full length to turn Fitzpatrick’s shot away and seal the win for her side.
When the team’s met earlier in the season in the league Antrim had run out convincing winners, but it was clear from the start that Domnhal Nugent’s charges were not going to be a push-over this time around. Playing with the breeze at their backs in the opening half the visitors fell behind to early scores from Antrim’s Evanne Martin and Cassie McArthur, but with the brilliant Paul O’Hagan leading the line the Down girls hit the next six points on the bounce to lead 0-06 to 0-02. Antrim were in a spot of bother but they fought back well and two pointed frees from Roisin McCormick and one each from play by Katie Molloy and Maeve Kelly cut the gap back to a single point by half time.
Beth Fitzpatrick increased Down’s lead in the early stages of the new half before Roisin McCormick hauled the visitors back in with three points from frees, but O’Hagan pulled one back to tie the scores at 0-09 apiece by the 42st minute. Maeve Kelly produced a couple of moments of magic to send over two quick points, and although they Saffrons now had the upper hand they could not add to that score, which kept the home fans on the edge of their seats. As the game went deep into injury time it looked like they had done enough to clinch the title, but there was late drama when Fitzpatrick shot sped towards the corner of the Antrim net, before Graham’s brilliant heroics saved the day and booked her team’s place against Derry in the Ulster final in two week’s times.
SCORERS
Antrim R McCormick 0-8 (0-7f), M Kelly 0-3, K Molloy 0-2, E Martin & C McArthur 0-1 each
Down P O’Hagan 0-10 (0-7f), B Fitzpatrick 0-2, A McAleenan 0-1
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