IT would appear from the reports I have written so far this season that Down camogie is on a downward slide.
The senior team are just about hanging on to Division 1 league status but they were relegated from the All-Ireland senior championship, the junior inter-county team won just one game all year and the minors are also failing to impress.
However, there has been schools’ success at lower age-groups, notably in Assumption Grammar, Ballynahinch, and many of those Assumption girls took that winning experience to Abbottstown on Saturday to help Down U-16s to a shock seven-point win over Group 2 winners Laois in their All-Ireland semi-final.
The county had lost tamely at the semi-final stage last year, but this year’s team was not going to be denied and laid down a marker over the first eight minutes.
Two goals from Orla Owens and a third from Laura McEvoy had Down 3-1 to 0-1 ahead and Laois looked to be on the ropes. However, they hit back with a goal and two points. Down were now on the back foot, but a couple of positional switches later they re-discovered their earlier form and finished the first half with three points in a row to lead by 3-5 to 1-3 at the break.
EJ Cuddy bagged her second goal at the start of the second half, and, although Down replied with points from Therese Cowan and Orla Owens, Katie Kavanagh found the goal to reduce the gap to just three points midway through the half.
Again Down responded to the challenge with Dáire O’Shea and Caoimhe Dorrian tightening their grip on midfield and Ellie McCabe marshalling defence.
Down finished strongly with three points before O’Shea and Orla Owens combined to set Therese Cowan up for the goal that killed off the Laois challenge.
Down will now face Carlow in the final after they won the Leinster derby with Kildare, also in Abbotstown, with both goals in a 2-11 to 0-5 win coming in the first half.
The pair met in a group game in Liatroim on the last Sunday of June with the Leinster side coming out on top to the tune of 3-9 to 1-8.
The manner of Saturday’s victory, however, coming a week after the senior footballers’ Tailteann Cup final victory over the same opposition, will bring confidence to Down and they will be fired up for the showdown on Saturday week.
Down: E Douglas, C Burns, A Masterson, C McConville, E Daly, E McCabe, E McCrickard, C Dorrian (0-1), M Lennon, A McKay, D O’Shea (0-1), T Cowan (1-6), L McEvoy (1-0), C Fay (0-1), O Owens (2-1).
Subs: G Kelly for A Masterson, A Gilmore for L McEvoy, E Kelly for O Owens, C Murtagh for C McConville.
Laois: A Kenna, A Curran, E Keane, C Townsend, E Redmond, S O’Reilly, K Lyons, S Kirby, E Walsh, E Murphy (0-3), A Dunne, K Kavanagh (1-0), M Gorman, EJ Cuddy (2-2), N O’Shea.
Sub: R Doyle (0-1).