National Camogie League – Division 1
Kilkenny 2-18 Antrim 1-12
Despite going in as underdogs, Antrim delivered a spirited performance that proved they truly belong at this level. Ultimately, the home side’s late surge proved too strong. Kilkenny secured a 2-18 to 1-12 victory at UPMC Nowlan Park, but the final whistle brought mixed emotions: Antrim are relegated from Division 1A of the Centra Camogie League, while Kilkenny agonizingly missed out on the league final due to score difference.
Coach Elaine Dowds will undoubtedly take heart from the Saffrons’ campaign, but the day ended with tough pills to swallow for both squads.
Saffrons Set the Pace
Antrim came out of the gates firing, completely unfazed by the occasion. Two early frees from Nicole McAtamney set the tone. Even after Kilkenny responded with two points of their own, Antrim pushed ahead to a 0-5 to 0-2 lead thanks to clinical scores from McAtamney, Lucia McNaughton, and Róisín McCormick.
Kilkenny began to claw their way back with points from Aoife Prenderghast and Asha McHardy. Antrim’s Maeve Kelly slotted an excellent response, but Prenderghast nailed two frees to tie the game at 0-7 apiece. The sides traded one more point each to go into the break deadlocked at 0-8 to 0-8.
Kilkenny’s Late Surge
The third quarter remained highly competitive. Katie Nolan (Kilkenny) and Kelly (Antrim) traded scores immediately after the restart, but the home side slowly began to turn the screw, opening up a 0-13 to 0-10 lead by the midway point of the half.
The momentum shifted dramatically in the 47th minute when Sarah Barcoe found the back of the net for Kilkenny. While McNaughton paused the onslaught with a point for Antrim, Nolan and Emma Shortall stretched Kilkenny’s lead to 1-15 to 0-11 with ten minutes remaining.
Refusing to fold, Antrim’s Cliona Griffin pulled off a spectacular play—taking a fine catch, speeding down the left flank, and cutting in to smash the ball into the net. A follow-up point by Katie McKillop suddenly cut the deficit to just three points (1-15 to 1-12) by the 54th minute.
However, with Kilkenny acutely aware they needed to drastically improve their score difference to catch Galway, they hit the gas. The hosts unleashed an unanswered 1-3 in the dying minutes to seal the game, even if it wasn’t quite enough to punch their ticket to the final.
Scorers
| Team | Scorers |
| Kilkenny | E Shortall (1-2), S Barcoe (1-0), A Prenderghast (0-6, fs), L Murphy (0-3), K Nolan (0-3), A McHardy (0-2), S Fitzgerald (0-1), C Keher-Murtagh (0-1) |
| Antrim | C Griffin (1-1), N McAtamney (0-5, fs), L McNaughton (0-2), M Kelly (0-2), R McCormick (0-1), K McKillop (0-1) |
Kilkenny
A Norris; G Brennan, M Teehan, A Carroll; C Dowling, N Deeley, A Brett; L Greene, R Phelan; A McHardy, L Murphy, C Keher-Murtagh; E Shortall, S Fitzgerald, A Prenderghast.
Subs Used: S Barcoe for S Fitzgerald (14), K Nolan for C Keher-Murtagh (HT).
Antrim
C Graham (capt); C Patterson, N Cosgrove, C McKillop; S Heggarty, K Molloy, D Dobbin; A Boyle, E McAllister; M Kelly, L McNaughton, N McAtamney; C Griffin, J McIntosh, R McCormick.
Subs Used: C McNaughton for C Patterson (45), S O’Neill for S Heggarty (45), K McKillop for E McAllister (45), C Conlon for D Dobbin (49), E McIntosh for N McAtamney (56).