Today Saturday April 20
Littlewoods Ireland Camogie Leagues Division 2 Final: 3pm in Banagher
Kilkenny v Tipperary
KILKENNY finished second in the group stages with just one defeat to their name. A win over Galway in the quarter-finals booked them a direct passage to the final.
Tipperary also finished second in the group stage with one loss, after which they defeated Derry in the quarter-finals. They then sealed their final berth with a win over Westmeath in the semi-final.
Kilkenny are aiming for a first title at this level since 2006 whilst Tipperary have yet to claim the Division 2 honours.
My vote goes to Tipperary but there won’t be much between the teams
Littlewoods Ireland Camogie Leagues Division 3 Final: 1pm in Banagher
Kildare v Limerick
KILDARE, who were relegated from Division 2 last year, topped the group stage with a 100% record before recording an impressive semi-final win over Roscommon.
Limerick finished third in the group stage with three wins to their name but then rose to the occasion to defeat Clare in the semi-final having previously lost when the sides met in the opening match of the campaign in February.
This was the closest challenge that Kildare got in the group stages, just a two-point margin, but I expect the Lily Whites to open up in the final and take the title for the first time since 2012.
All-Ireland Minor A semi-finals
Gort 1pm: Clare v Tipperary
Waterford IT 2pm: Cork v Kilkenny
Tipperary and Kilkenny were the winners in their respective groups and Cork only scraped through on score difference with a draw last Saturday in Gort.
It is difficult seeing anything other than a Kilkenny v Tipperary final.
All-Ireland Minor B semi-finals: 3pm
Drogheda: Derry v Laois
Gort: Limerick v Westmeath
EVEN though Derry drew with Westmeath in their opening game, the Oak Leaf cailíní were not as impressive as the Leinster side in their remaining games.
In the other section Laois won all their games in impressive fashion, justifying the pre-competition tag of favourites.
Two years ago this Laois side won the All-Ireland under 16B title by beating Antrim in a replayed final. Antrim have since moved on to be competitive at Minor A grade and arguably Laois are around the same level.
Derry are very dependent on last season’s under 16 squad who impressed right through until Antrim beat them in the All-Ireland final. They should compete well, but Laois should win.
Limerick have dropped down from the top tier and should give Westmeath a good test. Westmeath to win however.
All-Ireland Minor B Shield semi-finals
1pm in Drogheda: Down v Kildare
2pm in Crettyard: Carlow v Meath
Last year, Down were well beaten by Kildare in the All-Ireland Minor B Shield final, but a huge win over Carlow by the Mourne girls in Mayobridge last Saturday has raised possibilities in the county after a poor run earlier in the competition.
Down have four or five girls who saw action in the Senior National league and the minors won last week without the services of Saoirse Sands who had played in the All-Ireland Intermediate final last September.
By comparison, Kildare have had a poor run with just one victory (against Roscommon) and they totalled only 3-6 in their other three games.
If the Down team that hit Carlow for 6-12 last Saturday turns up in Drogheda, they will reach the final, but can they reproduce that good form?
In the other semi-final, there is no reason why Meath cannot come through.
