By Alan Rodgers

A CHANCE to make a strong impression in the Ulster Club Championship begins for Tyrone’s hurling champions this weekend when their provincial campaigns start with tough encounters against their Antrim counterparts.

Earlier this month Carrickmore Eire Ogs defeated Dungannon to take the Benburb Cup, while Naomh Colmcille’s confidently defeated Omagh in the Junior decider. Now they’re both casting their sights on bigger prizes.

Both teams make the trip to Ballycastle for their first round ties. On Saturday, Naomh Colmcille, who previously reached the All-Ireland Junior final, take on Glenravel, while twenty-four hours later it’s the turn of the Eire Ogs when they play Carey Faughs. Both games are timed for 1.30pm.

They will understandably be aiming to do well, and for Carrickmore the game represents an opportunity to perhaps win a first provincial Intermediate title for Tyrone. Two years ago Dungannon reached the final, where they lost on penalties to Naomh Eanna of Belfast.

It has been three weeks since the county finals, and the Eire Ogs have spent the time preparing diligently for this latest clash. Their centre-back, Dermot Begley, who starred in the county final win, is well aware of the importance of Sunday’s game.

“It’s nice to have pushed on by winning the Tyrone title again and our aim now is to develop more as a team,” he said.

“Last year we probably only played for five or 10 minutes which killed the game off. But there’s now a few young lads who are coming through and Anthony Crossan is a brilliant addition as well. It’s about keeping going and building on that momentum.

“The whole team took a while to celebrate the win over Dungannon. The Ulster Club is our next target and it’s something that we definitely want to make an impact in.

“Carey Faughs won the Antrim title, they’re a good side. Anyone coming out of Antrim is going to be a strong side and it has been about spending the last three weeks getting ourselves ready for this game. “

The experience defender is part of a team with a useful mix of youth and experience. Conor Grogan, Justin Kelly, Sean Pol Begley and Bryan McGurk have all been to the fore, while young players including Dean Rafferty, Cormac Munroe, Jarlath Kerr and Lochrann O Donnghaile have also been impressing.

They laid to rest the disappointment of previous final losses to account for Creggan Kickhams in the decider last month.

They won’t have far to travel for this latest tie and will be hoping to make the most of what’s close to home advantage for them.

Nevertheless, there’s no doubting the determination of the Eire Ogs as they aim to keep the momentum of their county final victory going.

“It would be good to get a run going in the Ulster Club. We got to the Intermediate finals in 2010 and 2015, so it would be good to get another good run,” added Dermot Begley.

“Unfortunately, we lost out on both occasions. It would be nice obviously to get back there, but there’s three games to get through first and we’re certainly not looking past this one against Faughs.”

Naomh Colmcille, meanwhile, will be relying on the likes of Chris Kearns, Mike O’Gorman and Niall O’Neill to lead the way for them when they make the trip to Ballycastle on Saturday.

A Glenravel team that defeated Glenarm confidently in the Antrim Junior Final will provide their opposition.

Naomh Colmcille, though, will be well equipped for the challenge posed by their opponents considering their experience of playing in the Antrim League during the past few years.