Glen Dimplex All Ireland Intermediate Championship
Antrim 4-19 Meath 0-13
ANTRIM camogs scorched into the semi-finals of the Glen Dimplex All Ireland Intermediate Championship with this emphatic win over Meath as temperatures soared to 25 degrees at Fr. Healy Park.
As the mercury rose, Antrim were unrelenting in their game today, turning up the heat even more against their travelling opponents to secure a semi-final place in St. Conleth’s Park, Newbridge, Co. Kildare on July 12. They will discover their opponents will be after quarter-final play offs on July 5.
Supporters were entertained with four Saffron goals and a wide spread of points from across the squad. This was one of those games where everyone put in a solid shift and consequently, the result showed on the scoreboard and created an opportunity for Antrim management, McCormick and Coulter, to deploy the bench in the second half.
Meath were competent in spells, and it would have been a mistake to think they couldn’t be dangerous but Antrim’s defence was solid like a ring of steel and able to quash all Meath approaches to goal.
With no more than 30 seconds or so on the clock, Antrim’s Lucia McNaughton struck at the heart of Meath’s catch net from a Katie Molloy pass and, after Caitrín Dobbin followed swiftly with her point, Molloy returned with a striking point won on her own volition as she persevered to win the sliotar and make the run down the dugout side of the pitch.
Antrim were four points up after Dobbin took possession from a great Shannagh Heggarty pass before Meath clipped a point over Antrim’s bar from Brodie Kelly at five minutes on the clock.
There would be no breathers in this game – the unrelenting pace witnessed Antrim’s Maeve Kelly take a big hit on the move but, undeterred, Kelly struck the sliotar for her point only a minute after Meath’s. However, Antrim’s physicality yielded two Meath frees and, in quick succession, Meath’s Aoife Carey and Tara Murphy had closed the gap to just two points.
Carey and Murphy each stepped up to flight two more frees over Antrim’s bar, with bookended points from Antrim’s Dobbin, McCormick and Boyle to steady the scoring campaign and start the drift away from Meath at 0-10 to 0-05.
The gap would widen within five minutes of Boyle’s point with a goal from Maeve Kelly, driving in a high ball that inexplicably dropped in over the goalkeeper’s head, running over the line and chaperoned to a result by a sheltering McCormick, preventing any Meath influence.
Antrim had a taste of goal, and you sensed the full forwards wanted in on the action and they didn’t have long to wait, as Katie Molloy offloaded to McCormick running outside the Meath box. McCormick spotted and offloaded to an unmarked Cassie McArthur and, under strict instructions from the sideline to ‘bury it’, Antrim had their second goal.
Meath attempted to close the gap with two points from substitute Grace Coleman – however Antrim quickly neutralised those from a McCormick free and a simple but effective combo from a McNaughton sideline into the hands of Dobbin to close out the second half Antrim 2-12 Meath 0-07.
Antrim now enjoyed the breeze largely on their backs at the restart, and with a flush of substitutes at the whistle. Right from the ‘get go’, Fionnuala Kelly made her intentions known as she assisted McCormick in the raising of a green flag.
Antrim’s three goals were about to become four as McCormick brought more trouble to Meath’s door. A raking shot intended for goal was intercepted by Cassie McArthur as she raised her hand for the catch and the deflection into goal meant four for Antrim. One staved thumb later and a slow walk back to the dugout seen McArthur safely on the bench for some treatment.
Meath weren’t without their chances all the same, as witnessed ten minutes into the half, Meath’s Brodie Kelly found a gap between Antrim defenders wide enough to test goalkeeper, Caitriona Graham. It was a decent effort but a better save, ending out wide for the 45.
Both sides would trade points up to the final whistle, but not before Meath’s Claire Coffey blocked a certain goal from Maeve Kelly that was cleverly fed in from Sarah O’Neill.
Antrim: Caitriona Graham, Dearbhail Dobbin, Katie Lynn, Caoimhe McNaughton, Clare McKillop, Sarah O’Neill 0-01, Shannagh Heggarty, Amy Boyle 0-01, Nicole McAtamney, Maeve Kelly 1-01, Roisín McCormick 1-07, Lucia McNaughton 0-01, Cassie McArthur 2-0, Katie Molloy 0-02, Caitrín Dobbin 0-04, Becky Ellis, Erin Coulter, Katierose Bell, Sarah Fyfe, Niamh Neeson, Janey McIntosh, Eimear Johnston, Eavanne Martin, Aisling O’Donnell, Annie Lynn, Orlaith McAllister 0-01, Fionnuala Kelly 0-01, Dervla Cosgrove, Colleen Patterson,
Meath: Tara Murphy, Laura O’Neill, Claire Coffey, Sophia Payne, Leah Devine, Maeve Clince, Ciara Foley 0-02f, Rachel O’Neill, Brodie Kelly 0-01, Isabel O’Connor 0-01, Erin Leddy, Grace Connolly, Aoife Carey 0-03 (2f, 1×45), Emma Regan 0-02 (1f, 1×45), Katie Connolly 0-02, Ellen Burke, Eimear Fagan, Grace Coleman 0-02 (1f, 1×45), Aisling Byrne, Cliodhna O’Riordan, Tracy King, Roisin Heaney, Amy Boyle, Lauren Woods, Alex Donoghue, Bláithnaid Hughes, Ciara Flanagan, Ella O’Brien, Shíofra Deegan
Meath line-up
Match report and photos from Antrim Camogie PRO Michael Corcoran
