Ulster Intermediate Camogie Championship semi-final

Cavan v Tyrone

Sunday, TBC

CAVAN have edged this particular rivalry in recent matches, and not only that but they’ll be riding high on confidence after an absolutely brilliant win at the weekend over Roscommon in the Division Four final.

They claimed the honours on a scoreline of 3-16 to 0-7 and it was a fitting end to the league as they went the entire campaign with an unblemished 100 per cent record.

They also come armed with the knowledge that they’ve had the better of Tyrone in recent encounters – they won last year’s Nancy Murray Cup against the Red Hands with plenty to spare, but there was only four points between the teams when they met in this year’s league campaign.

Tyrone are an improving force but they’re arguably a little bit reliant on key players Reagan Fay and Roisin McErlean to get the ball over the bar, while the Breffni county are more experienced at this level and have a better spread of scorers. Nonetheless, Tyrone have made some serious improvements and reaching an Ulster final would be a big moment for camogie in the county, and they have some seriously strong defenders in Ciara McGready and Cathy Jordan.

Under the tutelage of Jimmy Greville, Cavan are a supremely fit and well-organised team. They took complete control of their Division Four final victory over Roscommon in the second half with the magnificent Niamh Keenaghan and Shanise Fitzsimons plundering goals as they claimed their second trophy since the county’s return to fielding a camogie team at adult level. The way things are going, there could be further trophies around the corner.

Verdict: Cavan

Ulster Intermediate Camogie Championship semi-final

Armagh v Down seconds

Sunday, TBC

THIS is a decent chance for Armagh to pick themselves off the canvas after they lost their Division Three final to Wexford last weekend in particularly disappointing circumstances.

The Orchard county were two points ahead heading into the final quarter, but Wexford scored the final four points of the game to claim a 0-13 to 1-8 victory.

For character alone, their win was merited, but the Armagh camogs will be disappointed that they didn’t make their first-half dominance really count on the scoreboard.

Nevertheless, they aren’t the reigning All-Ireland Premier Junior champions for no reason and have some of the top players in the province contained within their ranks. They’ll be strong favourites to qualify for the Ulster Intermediate final against Down’s ‘Junior’ team as they beat them handily enough earlier in the season by 5-9 to 1-1.

It’s a testament to the strength of Down camogie that they have the depth and resources to field a ‘second’ team, but it’s likely that this game will prove a bridge too far.

Verdict: Armagh

CAPTAIN FANTASTIC…Erinn Galligan led Cavan to the Division Four title