The final rounds of the Antrim Intermediate and Senior Hurling Championships get underway tonight at Dunsilly when Cloney Gaels, Ahoghill take on Con Magees Glenravel in the Intermediate Championship at 7pm.

The Ahoghill men will start the game as firm favourites against a Glenravel side which are still looking for their first points in the competition. Even if they did win, Ahoghill will still need a lot of other things to go their way if they are to qualify.

On Saturday at 2:30, the top game in the McKeever Hotels Intermediate Hurling Championship Group 2 sees table-toppers Cushendun take on Shane O’Neill’s Glenarm. The Emmets top the group on 8 points, with Glenarm 2 points back on 6. If the result goes the way of Cushendun, however, Glenarm could find themselves in a three-way tie with Ahoghill and St Paul’s if these two win their respective games this weekend.

At the same time, up in Belfast, O’Donovan Rossa have a home venue against Ballycastle in the final Bathshack Senior Hurling Championship Group 1 game. Ballycastle make the journey to Shaw’s Road knowing that nothing short of a win will do, whereas Rossa, who drew with Champions St John’s in the first outing, will be content with a draw, which would see them through to the quarter-finals. There is of course a chance of the Shaw’s Road men reaching the semis, if they run up a big score against the Town, and Loughgiel do the same against the Johnnies later in the day.

At 4:00, up in Glenormley, St Paul’s take on Tir na nÓg, Randalstown in the Intermediate Championship, knowing that a win would keep them in the mix if other results go their way, but their inferior score difference would make in very hard for them to go through.

Also at 4pm Latharna Og start their championship campaign when they take on All Saints Ballymena at the Brustin Braes, Larne. The Larne men had actually entered the Junior Championship proper but had to withdraw at the eleventh hour, so they were given the chance of salvaging something from the season when they were allowed to play Junior B. However they face tough opponents in the, Ballymena men.

IHC Group 1 leaders Carey Faughs face Creggan in Ballyvoy on Saturday at 5pm where a point will seal a semi-final spot for the Faughs. However a win for Creggan would put them ahead of their hosts in the head to head and if they were to win by more than five points they would go top on score difference as well, though St Gall’s would have to beat Cloughmills by a very big score on Sunday to make that  relevant.

The final game of the day will be played at 5-30 at Fr Healy Park, Loughgiel, where reigning champions, St John’s, take on the Shamrocks in a repeat of last year’s decider. The Johnnies bridged a 52-year gap when they came out on top against Loughgiel in last year’s final in Ballycastle and the Shamrocks will be looking for revenge this time out. Both teams have qualified for the knockout stages, but the winner of this game will go through as group winners, which would take them straight through to a semi-final and avoid the likes of Dunloy or Cushendall in a quarter-final.

SUNDAY

St Gall’s host Cloughmills at the Bog Meadows on Sunday at 1pm knowing that a win will put them through to the knock-out stages, but a win for the Biddies could see them overtake the Belfast men. Of course much will depend on how the Carey v Creggan game has gone the day before.

Up in north Antrim Glenariffe Oisins take on St Enda’s in what is a winner takes all game in the Senior Hurling Championship. Both teams are searching for their first points of the campaign in what promises to be a cracking game. I may be wrong but by my reading of it a draw would be enough to see the Oisins through since they have a superior score difference but that would be cutting things very fine.

Just around the corner in Cushendall the Ruairis host Dunloy at 4-30 pm in what promises to be the big game of the weekend. Both teams are already through to the knock-out stages but a win, or in Dunloy’s case a draw, would put them through to the semi-finals.

There  are two Junior Hurling Championship quarter finals down for decision on Sunday with  Lamh Dhearg taking on St Brigid’s at Hannahstown at 3-30 while Sarsfields host Davitt’s at the Bear Pit at 5pm