By Dara Woods

Saturday 6th August saw two under 14 squads compete in the national camogie blitz. One panel in Dunganney for the Lily Spence Cup, the Meath development centre and the other panel in Abbotstown, Co. Dublin for the Micheal Kennedy Cup.

Sunny conditions left both venues dry and with very little wind it turned out a great day for four games of camogie per panel twelve minutes per half.

Match 1

Dunganney panel began their campaign slowly against Cork and Abbotstown panel started quickly against Laois. Cork made strong progress with some fast running in midfield and pushed into a commanding lead. Meanwhile in Abbotstown Antrim were motoring along to a comfortable lead. After the break Laois had no answer for the Antrim style and failed to make their mark on the scoreboard. The second half in Dunganney saw a resurgent Antrim squad claw back into the game with some classy forward interplay. By the final whistle Antrim had the upper hand and looked good value for their win completed with the winning goal from Isabella Martin.

Match 1 Final scores:

Antrim 9:05 Laois 2:07

Antrim 2:09 Cork 2:07

Match 2 

Abbotstown then saw Antrim face an excellent Kerry side in match while Offaly took on the Dunganney panel. It was Offally who dominated the first half but after some words of encouragement at half time the Antrim squad at Dunganney showed their calibre and rattled off some excellent scores to finish the stronger team. On the score tally there was Louise McBride, Marie Laverty, Amy McAlister and Shannon McQuillan. Meanwhile in Abbotstown Kerry beat Antrim despite a great defensive effort from Laoise Stone, Mya McKinley and Aoife McGivern

Match 2 Final Scores:

Antrim 1:05 Offaly 0:05

Antrim 0:00 Kerry 3:06

Match 3 

Dunganney Antrim next faced a formidable Dublin side and Abbotstown saw a rejuvenated Antrim take on Laois Antrim made inroads against the O’Moore county and held their own in all areas of the pitch with Fionnuala Baker, Eimhear McCloskey and Amelie Annett all starring. It was a different story nearer the Boyne river as Dublin held the lion’s share of possession and with blistering pace took a commanding lead into half time. Dublin pushed on against the resolute full back line of of Maeve McAlister (c), Cora Pierce and Carly McNamee. Substitutes Aoibh Woods and Darcy Ward gave spirited performances but Dublin ran out comfortable winners

Match 3 Final Scores:

Antrim 10:05 Laois 0:05

Antrim 0:01 Dublin 2:06

And so to the finals. In Abbotstown Antrim would face Offaly and in Dunganney it was Kilkenny to beat.

It was was thrilling stuff in Dunganney as parents and coaches from both teams cheered on. A minutes silence was observed for the late Lily Spence and young Tipperary star Dillon Quirke.

Kilkenny took an early lead, Antrim dominated quarters 2 and three, Kilkenny hit the crossbar and blazed a 20 metre free over the bar in the last minute. Eva McNeill’s sidesteps and interplay between Adria McAlister Anna Smyth and Erinmae Mitchel were some of the highlights there.

In Abbotstown Caela Casey, Cara Lyttle and Fionnual Baker showed their determination and class to help Antrim overcome a skillful Offaly team. Margaret Flynn a friend of Lily Spence made the trip from Rossa Belfast to congratulate the girls mentioning how proud Lily Spence would have been to see success go Ulster and Antrim’s way. The players, coaches and parents made this a memorable day for Antrim and excellent preparation for the Croke Park Camogie finals and half-time parade.

Shield final scores

Michael Kennedy Trophy – Antrim 2:03 Offaly 1:02

Lily Spence: Antrim 3:05 Kilkenny 3:01

Dunganney panel:

Molly McToal, Bríd O’Kane, Carly McNamee, Brianna McCloskey, Erin McNaughton, Maeve McAlister, Cara Delaney, Louise McBride, Anna Smyth, Erinmae Mitchel, Eva McNeill      , Shannon McQuillan, Eimear McCaughan, Marie Laverty, Amy McAlister, Adria McAlister, Amy McAlister, Aoibh Woods, Brenna Bonnes, Cliodhna Thompson, Cora Pierce, Darcy Ward, Grace Duffin, Isabella Martin, Katie Walsh

Abbotstown panel:

Mya McKinley, Hannah Mead, Anna Graham, Laoise Stone, Aimee Johnston, Shauna McCann, Ellen McAleer, Amelie Annett, Anna Smyth, Caoimhe McErlain,          Catherine McGarry,  Eimhear McCloskey, Aoife McGivern, Laura Scullion, Caela Casey, Aoife Rice, Caitlin McFall, Emma Mitchell, Hollie Martin, Cara Lyttle, Róise Stevenson, Amy Gault, Orla Munce, Fionnuala Baker

There were scenes of great jubilation in the Diamond in Ballycastle on Sunday evening as hundreds of supporters, aged from 0 to 90, gathered to welcome home the newly crowned All Ireland Junior Champions after their emphatic victory over Armagh in Croke Park earlier in the day.  

Liam Vallely, Brian Kearney, Duck McFadden all praised the girls for their determination and commitment throughout the season, deservedly coming away with the highly coveted Kay Mills Trophy. Joint Captains Maria McLarnon and Emma Laverty addressed the crowds thanking all their families and supporters and praising the faith and trust that was placed in them by their management team. The fans were treated to a rendition of The Green Glens of Antrim and their own version of Shotgun, by the aptly named Amy McDonald, the teams physio. The celebrations continued in the Diamond where young hurlers and Camogs got the chance to meet their hero’s, get sticks and jerseys signed and get pictures galore taken. Many of the U14 All Ireland winners, who were in the parade at half time in the Intermediate game, were also there to meet the team and show their support. The girls were fantastic role models, inspiring the next generation of players! The future is definitely looking bright for the Saffron Ladies, we might need a bigger venue for the next homecoming! As was chanted many times on Sunday evening,

‘Up the Saffs!’

💛🤍💛🤍

Antrim 5-5
Armagh 0-14 

Four goals from Dervla Cosgrove including three in 84 first-half seconds, and three saves from Áine Graham were among the more notable events as Antrim came out on top of an action-packed Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Premier Junior Camogie Final. 

This was a remarkable end to an inaugural campaign for the county’s second string, finishing in glory at Croke Park less than a year after their flagship side secured senior status by winning the intermediate title. 

This victory suggests that the Saffrons’ production line is in fine working order but Armagh will rue the failure to convert even one of their goal chances, while a catalogue of defensive calamities left Cosgrove in for some of the easiest green flags she will ever register. 

Former Cork star, Jenny Curry was a real threat for Armagh but they could not provide her with sufficient quality supply and in the second half, Antrim made sure the eight-time All-Star was at least doubly attended. 

Cosgrove earned the player-of-the-match plaudits and there could be no arguments about that with her three-goal salvo in under a minute and a half ultimately deciding the match, her fourth major cementing the verdict. 

It was last year’s minor captain, Fionnuala Kelly that made the early impact though, after Armagh had begun confidently with points from Ellie McKee and a brilliant Ciara Donnelly strike. 

The teenager, whose sister Maeve was player of the match for the intermediates last year, split the posts to get the team managed by Brian Kearney and Mark McFadden off the mark and then goaled in the eighth minute following a move started by Anna McNeill. When Cosgrove’s cross generated only the minutest of heavy touches from Ciarrai Devlin, Kelly was in like a flash to bat to the net. 

Curry, following a fantastic Donnelly delivery, and Rachael Merry settled Armagh with points but Cosgrove’s treble from the 21^st to the 23^rd minutes blew the game apart and left Jim McKernan’s crew playing catch-up. 

His defence had been marked absent too often in that period and the Antrim native, who was joint manager of last year’s successful Antrim intermediate team, made two substitutions that helped shore things up for Armagh. 

You sensed that the damage had been done and though Sinéád Quinn, Michelle McArdle and Donnelly (two) pointed, the Orchard women trailed by 4-3 to 0-9 at the interval. 

It could have been very different but goalkeeping is clearly in the Graham genes as Áine, sister of senior netminder Caitrin, was extremely alert between the posts. Donnelly, after being set up by Curry, also rattled a shot off the butt of the upright. 

Armagh gradually reassumed control in terms of play at least in the second half, and when Curry pointed in the 47^th minute after a trademark flick, easy pick-up, side-step and finish, the margin was down to three. 

Cosgrove’s close range finish after Devlin’s stupendous save from Nuala Devlin a minute later, followed by another Graham save from McArdle helped Antrim close it out. 

ANTRIM: A Graham, M McLarnon, E Kearns, E McShane, C Crawford, M McGarry, S Cosgrove, C Kearney, A McNeill, O Laverty, C McNaughton, Bríd Magill, E Laverty, D Cosgrove, F Kelly. Subs: N Devlin for O Laverty (39); Brónach Magill for S Cosgrove (47); E Leech for McNaughton (51); T O’Neill for Kelly 

ARMAGH: C Devlin, M Lenehan, N Woods, E O’Kane, G McCann, E Hayes, T Maguire, M McArdle, L Donnelly, C Doyle, C Donnelly, E McKee, R Merry, J Curry, S Quinn. Subs: E Lavery for Lenehan, C O’Kane for Woods (both 26); B Murray for McKee (34); K Comiskey for Merry (40); E Smyth for Doyle (55) 

SCORERS FOR ANTRIM: D Cosgrove 4-2(); F Kelly 1-2; E Leech 0-1 

SCORERS FOR ARMAGH: C Donnelly 0-5(3fs); J Curry 0-2; M McArdle, L Donnelly, E McKee, R Merry, S Quinn, E Smyth, K Comiskey 0-1 each 

REFEREE: Mike Ryan (Tipperary) 

Last September, Emma Laverty was a maelstrom of emotion. There was some happiness for her friends but the prevailing feeling was one of devastation. 

She had been an integral part of the rebuilding of Antrim camogie, one of the more senior players providing the necessary glue as prodigious, nascent talent poured forth from the underage and schools’ systems. 

Reaching the All-Ireland intermediate final in 2020 seemed merely a rung on the ladder to inevitable progression and Laverty began the following season committed to that cause. 

But while Maeve Kelly and Róisín McCormick were taking to Croke Park as to the manor born, Laverty was in civvies. 

Making the decision to step away had been difficult, nay heart-wrenching. She was accustomed to spending a lot of time with the same group of people that she would now not see much of and she knew that she might be giving up on something she had dreamed of in the saffront jersey.  

But the increased commitment required as Antrim looked to beef up their conditioning programme on the back of coming off second best in the physical exchanges against Down, was a problem. 

She had been part of the collective agreement that it was necessary but as an interior architect at Belfast-based firm Todd Architects, it meant an increase in mileage. She tried to make it work but the demands began to take their toll on mind and body. Inevitably, her form suffered, so she made the call to step away and get back to enjoying her camogie with Ballycastle. 

After Antrim defeated Kilkenny to secure senior status, it was decided that perhaps it would be a good time to field a second team, to help blood emerging players and keep others just on the periphery involved.  

Brian Kearney and Mark McFadden were appointed managers. Kearney knew Laverty, very well as it happens, as she is going out with his son David. He got in her ear, knowing that someone of her ability and experience would be invaluable to a project many in the county considered doomed. 

In truth, she didn’t need much persuading and was honoured to be appointed joint-captain with Maria McLarnon. Now, they are an hour away from securing the Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Premier Junior title on Sunday, with Armagh, managed ironically by Jim McKernan, who stepped down with Paul McKillen as manager of the intermediates after their All-Ireland success last year, and who Laverty knows so well, in the opposite corner (throw-in 12pm – Live on RTÉ2).  

“I took a second chance,” Laverty admits. “Brian was chatting to me about coming back and there was that devastation of, you could have had an All-Ireland. That’s what’s been in my head the whole year. It’s in all our heads now to win the All-Ireland but I stepped away myself last year so it’s a personal thing for me.” 

She understands why Kearney and McFadden turned to her and McLarnon to share the leadership responsibilities. 

“I suppose we’ve just got that experience of playing so long. You’re confident in yourself to speak out and correct things and lead the girls. We’ve a lot of young ones just out of minor, so they need that experience around them. 

“It goes (in age) from a lot of ones just out of minors and then a bit of a gap to those of us in our late 20s. We’ve so many girls with so much potential to be on that senior team. This was our first (junior) team together and it was some girls’ first team at county. No one had seen the potential, whereas now, we’re just completely rebuilding.” 

It has been a remarkable few years for Antrim camogie. 

“For a long time, when I was coming through, we couldn’t even get a county team together and it was just dying. It just took one group of girls to commit together and everyone pushed on. They’ve a great set-up. It’s unbelievable now. We’ve gear, we’ve food after training. There’s so much commitment from the county board, management, everything.” 

It took two periods of extra time to get over Clare in a remarkable semi-final, Megan McGarry hitting the winner from a free. 

“When we came home, we went to Cushendall and the place was bunged with people. Everyone’s just been talking about it since. It’s crazy. Credit to Clare. They pushed us to the very end and obviously it was gonna be a tough defeat, no matter what, but we’re just happy we got the win! 

“I came off with cramp and I was just, ‘Get me back on the pitch.’ The whole team was, ‘We cannot lose this.’ The effort we’d put in. We were thinking about that All-Ireland final. 

“Megan’s free was unbelievable. Some girls, I don’t know how they were coming out with the ball at the end of the match, running up the pitch. Some girls played the full game and I don’t know how they did it.” 

After missing out last year, Laverty will, like everyone else on the Antrim panel, be playing at Croke Park for the first time. But she knows not to let that, or anything else, become an overpowering factor. 

“We’ve said it, not to let the occasion, that it’s in Croke Park, take away from the fact you’re in an All-Ireland final. You have to win. Imagine standing on that pitch feeling the defeat It would be terrible. So we’re training hard and heads are settled.”