Sport

Camogie: Competitive Down senior championship gets underway while things reaching a crucial stage in Oak Leaf county

Portaferry won the Down Senior Camogie Championship for the first time last year and will put their title on the line with the 2022 starting on Wednesday night
Portaferry won the Down Senior Camogie Championship for the first time last year and will put their title on the line with the 2022 starting on Wednesday night Portaferry won the Down Senior Camogie Championship for the first time last year and will put their title on the line with the 2022 starting on Wednesday night

DOWN have nine teams in their senior championship with defending champions Portaferry in Group B along with Ballygalget, Bredagh and last year’s Intermediate winners Mayobridge.

Portaferry are away to Bredagh in the first round on Sunday and are strong favourites to score a first victory, especially now that the talismanic Niamh Mallon has regained her fitness after sustaining a bad shoulder injury while playing against Limerick.

The other three games all take place on Wednesday evening.

In the same group as Portaferry, Ballygalget should beat Mayobridge despite the unavailability of Beth Coulter a regular in the forward line for the past three years. Coulter has taken up a golf scholarship in the USA and has already left these shores.

The two Ards teams are tipped to win their opening games and should come out of Group B to contest the semi-finals in October.

By contrast, Group A looks very competitive with recent winners Clonduff, Liatroim Fontenoys and Ballycran battling for the two qualification spots alongside Ballyholland and Castlewellan.

The latter pair face each other in Ballyholland tomorrow evening with Aoife Keown and Cáitríona Caldwell tipped to guide the 'Town' to victory.

The other game is in Hilltown and is the tie of the round with last season’s beaten finalists Liatroim Fontenoys coming to play Clonduff who completed a four in a row in 2020.

Paula O’Hagan and Sara Louise Graffin missed last year’s title-race, but Paula returned to help Down retain senior status, while Sara Louise has featured in recent club fixtures as she battles to return to full fitness. In their absence a number of players have stepped forward and Clonduff look like a team that could regain their crown.

The experienced Karen McMullan has not featured for the Fontenoy's this season, leaving Dearbhla Magee and Aimee McAleenan as the driving forces in their team. The club’s past record will always mean that they are contenders, but it will be difficult for them to start the group games with a win.

Meanwhile, in The Elk Derry Senior Championship there are two more games this week.

Defending champions Slaughtneil struggled for a while against Eoghan Rua last week, but eventually were comfortable enough winners by 4-13 to 2-5. They can clinch a semi-final spot by beating Bellaghy on Friday evening at Emmet Park.

Damian Cassidy’s side have not had a game yet in the championship. Like Coleraine they will probably stay in the tie for a period of time, but Slaughtneil’s experience should then take over.

The other game, in Group B, should be interesting after Ballinascreen fell to a second half Lavey ambush last Thursday evening. The ‘Screen now must use home advantage to beat Swatragh and avoid finishing bottom of the group.

Swatragh though are league champions, their last game being a 0-13 to 0-12 victory over Slaughtneil. That should definitely lift their title ambitions and they will go into the game as favourites to win.

If Ballinascreen play as they did in the first half in Gulladuff, they could cause an upset. But they definitely won’t dent Swatragh’s title aspirations if they play as they did during the second half last week.

Down Senior Championship

Wednesday, August 24

7pm: Ballyholland v Castlewellan

7.15pm: Clonduff v Liatroim

7.15pm: Mayobridge v Ballygalget

Sunday

(1pm, Cherryvale): Bredagh v Portaferry

The Elk Derry Senior Championship

Friday (7pm)

Group A: Slaughtneil v Bellaghy.

Group B: Ballinascreen v Swatragh