All-Ireland Under 23B Camogie Championship

Antrim 0-11 | Limerick 2-10

Antrim were left rueing missed opportunities in Cushendun on Sunday evening as a resilient Limerick side weathered a second-half storm to secure a five-point victory. After a narrow opening-round loss to Clare, the Saffrons faced another bitter pill to swallow in a game defined by a strong wind and clinical finishing from the visitors.

Playing with a significant wind at their backs, Limerick dominated the opening period. Despite Antrim taking an early lead through Éobha McAllister and Aimee Ferris, the visitors soon found their rhythm. The momentum shifted early when Limerick’s Amy Foley was forced off with an injury; her replacement, Donna Kenny, proved to be the game’s decisive factor, immediately settling into her stride with accurate free-taking.

The turning point of the half came when Ella Hession intercepted a short poc out, driving forward to rifle the ball into the net. By the interval, Limerick led 1-9 to 0-5. However, Antrim remained optimistic; not only would they have the wind in the second half, but Limerick were reduced to 14 players after midfielder Claire Power received a second yellow card just before the whistle.

Antrim emerged with intent, dominating general play as they looked to chip away at the seven-point deficit. Points from Ellen McIntosh, Cara O’Boyle, and substitute Fionnuala Kelly narrowed the gap. The Saffron defence was immense, restricting Limerick to just a single point from play for the vast majority of the half.

With three minutes remaining on the clock, the home side looked destined to level the scores. A loose ball bouncing in the Limerick square fell to centre-forward Aimee Ferris. She pulled hard on the strike, beating the goalkeeper’s hurley, but the ball agonisingly appeared to strike the keeper’s leg and rebounded out for a ’45’.

The missed chance proved to be the final roll of the dice for Antrim for although Katie Mollo pointed the resultant 45 to close the gap to just two you sensed it wasn’t to be the Saffrons’ day and the momentum shifted back to the visitors. Just a minute later, Limerick clinically ended the contest when a long-range free from the prolific Donna Kenny dipped under the crossbar for their second goal, sealing the win.

Antrim must now regroup quickly as they prepare to host Down this Friday, while Limerick move forward with momentum to face Clare.

---

Teams and Scorers

Antrim: O Johnson, E Coulter, A O’Donnell, D Dobbin, C Crawford, K Molloy (0-1), S O’Neill, S Heggarty, J McIntosh, C O’Boyle (0-1), A Ferris (0-1), C Griffin, E McIntosh (0-3), O McAlister, E McAllister (0-4, 3fs).

• Sub: F Kelly (0-1) for O McAllister.

Limerick: C Mulqueen, C Ryan, C O’Riordon, A Foley, T Dore, E Woulfe, E O’Donovan, E O’Halloran (0-1), C Power, C Curtin, S O’Brien, L Boylan (0-1), R Molloy, E Hession (1-1), C Griffin (0-2fs).

• Subs: D Kenny (1-5fs) for A Foley, M Geary for R Molloy, L Southern for C Griffin, A Boyle for S O’Brien.

This photo sums up the efforts that all players and their families make to succeed in the game. Theresa Dore’s parents left Limerick at 7am on Easter Sunday morning to make an almost 300 miles journey to watch their daughter face Antrim in Cushendun Co Antrim, a ‘stone’s throw’ from the Mull of Kintyre on the Scottish coastline. Their journey was worthwhile at Theresa and her teammates went home with the points, facing a return journey of the same distance

TO SEE MORE PICS FROM THIS GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW

https://myalbum.com/album/NdJZoV7ZGcW5cj/?invite=8d99d82d-aa4b-44a7-8b72-823e68e52c01

Ulster Under 16 Camogie final

Antrim 0-03 Derry 6-16

It was a punishing afternoon at Naomh Éanna for Antrim U16s, as a formidable Derry side retained their Ulster title under relentless Glengormley rain. While the scoreboard tells a harsh story, it doesn’t quite capture the grit shown by the Saffron jerseys in conditions that were better suited for swimming than camogie.

The Saffrons entered the fray facing not just a clinical Oak Leaf outfit, but a literal uphill battle against surface water and a biting wind. For much of the first half, Antrim showed they could compete in flashes of defiance. Rose McMullan was a standout in the middle of the park, clinical from the placed ball and accounting for all three of Antrim’s points.

Defensively, the scoreline could have spiraled much earlier if not for the Trojan work of Róisín Nic Bhrádaigh, Erin Neeson, and Amber Anderson. They, alongside Aoife Downey, threw themselves into challenges to keep the Derry wave at bay.

The Turning Point

At halftime, trailing 2-08 to 0-03, the mountain was high but not insurmountable. Indeed, the Antrim defense tightened up significantly after the restart, conceding only two points in the opening ten minutes of the second half.

However, the game’s complexion changed entirely in the 40th minute. Following a heavy exchange after a whistle, a Saffron defender was issued a straight red card for retaliation. Down a player and facing a Derry side with five of last year’s starters, the energy began to sap from the Antrim legs.

An excellent Derry side took full advantage of the extra space. Player of the Match Eva Forbes (2-06) found gaps that weren’t there before, and a flurry of goals from substitutes Deirbhile Mellon and Grace McCloskey in the final quarter put a gloss on the scoreline that felt particularly cruel given Antrim’s early industry.

“Credit to the girls for the work rate at the back. It was a steep hill to climb after the card, and against a team of Derry’s caliber, you simply can’t afford to play a player down.”

---

Match Statistics

Antrim Scorers	Derry Top Scorers
Rose McMullan 0-3 (3fs)	Eva Forbes 2-6 (1-3fs)
	Gráinne Doherty 1-3
	Deirbhile Mellon 2-0

Antrim Lineup: Clodagh McLarnon, Erin Neeson, Róisín Brady, Annie Convery, Caoilfhionn McShane (Keeley Lawlor 41), Ellie Lynn, Amber Anderson, Aoife Downey, Rose McMullan, Aoibheann McDonnell (Ciara Slevin 54), Chloe McGurk, Jane Feetham, Lucia Traynor, Eilish Fairley, Caoimhe Cunningham.

Derry U16 Camogie Team

• 1. Karen Birt
• 2. Ella Rafferty
• 3. Gracie Diamond
• 4. Tierna Cartin
• 5. Charlotte O’Hagan
• 6. Emma McVey
• 7. Niamh Duggan (0-1)
• 8. Orla McKenna
• 9. Feina Kerr (0-4)
• 10. Cassie Diamond
• 11. Eva Forbes (Captain) (2-6, 1-3 frees)
• 12. Gráinne Doherty (1-3)
• 13. Rose Quinn
• 14. Rachel Gribbin (1-0)
• 15. Clodagh McIlvar (0-2)

---

Substitutes

• Grace McCloskey (for R. Gribben, HT)
• Deirbhile Mellon (2-0) (for R. Quinn, 47′)
• Iona Tohill (for C. McIlvar, 47′)
• Saorla Kelly (for N. Duggan, 47′)
• Eva Diamond (for T. Cartin, 47′)
• Orla Bradley (for E. Rafferty, 52′)
• Shanna McEldowney (for F. Kerr, 52′)

Other Panel Members: Cassie Conway, Ella Kearney, Clíodhna Moore, Saoirse McCullagh, Cara McNally, Eva Scullion.

All Ireland U23 Camogie Championship

Final Score: Clare 2-11 (17) | Antrim 3-6 (15)

Pics by Eugene McCafferty

Despite making the long and demanding trek south to Inagh, the Antrim Under-23 camogie team came up agonizingly short in their All-Ireland U23B Championship opener, falling to Clare by a narrow two-point margin following a thrilling, goal-heavy contest.

The opening half produced a highly unusual scoreline, heavily defined by Antrim’s clinical ability to find the back of the net. While Clare relied on early points from Ellen Casey and the sharpshooting of Player of the Match Aisling Cooney (who picked off three first-half frees), Antrim made their strikes count.

In the 9th minute, Eobha McAllister stepped up and buried a crucial free into the Clare net. Though it was Antrim’s only score for most of the half, they struck gold again deep into added time when Cliona Griffin rattled the net for a second time. At the break, the scoreboard told a fascinating story: Clare 0-6, Antrim 2-0.

Clare’s Restart Surge & Antrim’s Resilience Clare came out of the dressing room firing. Within five minutes of the restart, they completely flipped the game’s momentum, finding the net twice through Ellen Casey and Aoibheann McNamara to take control of the tie.

However, the Antrim girls showed massive character and refused to let the game slip away. Passing the midway point of the second half, McAllister and Griffin tapped over much-needed points to steady the ship. Then, in the 48th minute, Griffin struck for her second goal of the game, catapulting Antrim right back into the mix.

A Nail-Biting Finish Cooney responded for Clare with two vital frees, but Antrim launched a fierce late rally. In the final ten minutes, Eobha McAllister slotted two more points, and Aimee Ferris added another, slashing the deficit to an absolute minimum with just three minutes left on the clock.

Unfortunately for the traveling side, they couldn’t find the equalizer. Aisling Cooney had the final say for the hosts, converting her ninth point of the afternoon from a placed ball to seal a hard-fought 2-11 to 3-6 victory for Clare.

Despite the heartbreaking result, Antrim can take massive positives from their resilience and attacking threat as they look ahead to hosting Limerick next Sunday in Round Two.

---

Team Lineups & Scorers

Clare

• Scorers: A Cooney (0-9, all frees), E Casey (1-1), A McNamara (1-0), E O’Driscoll (0-1)
• Starting XV: A Anderson, C Queally, C Lilly, C Ryan, G McMahon, A Walsh, A Marren, J Daly, D Griffin, E O’Driscoll, A Cooney, C Cahill, A McNamara, E Casey, M Millea

Antrim

• Scorers: C Griffin (2-1), E McAllister (1-4, including 1-2 frees), A Ferris (0-1)
• Starting XV: M Gately, S Fyfe, A O’Donnell, D Dobbin, S O’Neill, K Molloy, C Crawford, S Hegarty, O McAlister, C O’Boyle, A Ferris, E McAllister, C Griffin, E McIntosh, J McIntosh

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).