SEMI-FINALS in Armagh, semi-finals to be confirmed through final-round group games in Antrim and Cavan and a play-off plus a quarter-final in Down.
Those are the senior camogie championship hot-spots across Ulster this weekend, with junior and intermediate action also in the mix in almost all the counties.
Loughgiel are through to the final of yet another Antrim senior championship and are one step away from 11 successive titles.
Cushendall are sitting in a semi-final. The result of the one remaining group game on Saturday afternoon between Dunloy and Ballycastle will determine an opponent. The same fixture threw up a semi-final shock result last year.
Dunloy had topped the competition after the group stages in 2023, Ballycastle came through in fourth place, having earlier lost to Dunloy, Loughgiel and Cushendall. Yet they secured a 1-11 to 2-4 victory in the semi-final and were just a point off Loughgiel with a few minutes to go in the final.
This year there will be just one semi-final. So fourth place after the group stages won’t be good enough. But that’s where Ballycastle will probably end up – even if they beat Dunloy.
A win will bring them up to four points, but Dunloy, at this stage, have a vastly superior scoring difference and can afford to ship the defeat and still go through to a semi-final with Cushendall.
Armagh is the only championship run off as a straight knock-out competition. They are at the semi-final stage and it will rank as a shock if the two home sides over the weekend don’t prevail.
Lauren McConville’s scoring ability took Crossmaglen as far as an All-Ireland final last year, but the dual-star is now in Australia and that weakens her club side as they prepare to play Ballymacnab, who won the last of a record 18 titles in 2021.
The ‘Nab have since narrowly lost two finals to Granemore, who went on to collect Ulster and All-Ireland junior titles last autumn. They ran up 1-18 in beating Keady in the quarter-final and will be strongly favoured to see off Cross.
Not surprisingly Granemore are also hot favourites in Sunday’s semi-final against Madden. They have almost all of last year’s successful side back and are keen to make it three-in-a-row in the county. For the fifth final in a row, it should be Ballymacnab v Granemore.
There is one quarter-final in the Down championship, the meeting of holders Liatroim and An Ríocht in Fontenoy Park, with the home side favourites to line up Portaferry in a semi-final.
Ballyholland’s draw with Ballycran in the final group game last Sunday has complicated the other side of the draw. The pair have to meet again at midday on Sunday in Kilclief to produce a quarter-final opponent for Ballygalget, with Clonduff already further along the line in the semi-finals.
The calculators could be required in the gathering dusk on Saturday evening to sort out the next stage in the Cavan championship.
Denn have completed their programme with three victories and a narrow defeat to Lacken. If Crosserlough and Lacken both win on Saturday then all three will have accumulated three wins. That seems the likely outcome.
The team with the best scoring difference will then progress to the final, while the other two have a semi-final next Thursday. Assuming Crosserlough win in Ballyhaise, they would have the better scoring difference unless Lacken really go to town against Laragh.
Fixtures (first-named teams at home unless stated)
Local Women Sport Magazine Armagh Senior Camogie Championship semi-finals
Saturday Ballymacnab v Crossmaglen (4pm)
Sunday Granemore v Madden (1pm)
Mannok Cavan Senior Camogie Championship
Saturday (6pm) Castletara v Crosserlough (Ballyhaise); Lacken v Laragh
Teamkit Antrim Senior Camogie Championship
Saturday Dunloy v Ballycastle (2pm)
Down Senior Camogie Championship
Sunday
Quarter-final Liatroim v An Ríocht (12pm)
Play-off Ballyholland v Ballycran (Kilclief, 12pm)
