Preview: Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Premier Junior Championship Round 1

Plenty of exciting ties in the opening round of the Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Premier Junior Camogie Championship this weekend. Tipperary and Limerick will form double headers with their Senior counterparts while Armagh and Tyrone aim to continue their fruitful form this year.

Group 1:

Armagh v Tyrone Saturday May 25th, Ballymacnab Round Towers GAA, Armagh, 1pm

A meeting of two Ulster Champions who recorded success in separate grades meet to kick start their Group 1 campaign in the Premier Junior series. 

Armagh triumphed in the Intermediate Final and off the back of their recent Division 3A League win are looking to impress in the Premier Junior series and make the jump up to the Intermediate grade for next season. After suffering a painful one point defeat to Clare in the semi-final last year, certainly Armagh have started the year with a point to prove.

Tyrone defeated Down 3-14 to 2-05 to lift the Ulster Junior crown and like Armagh did record a win in the league, claiming the Division 4 honours overcoming Wicklow 3-16 to 0-10 in the final. Tyrone failed to make it past the Group stage last year and are out to continue this impressive run of form. They will meet Wicklow again, along with Down while also facing Tipperary.

Tipperary v Down, Saturday May 25th, The Ragg, 2pm

As part of a double header in The Ragg, Tipperary, beaten in last year’s decider, will look to build on from that defeat as they welcome Down.

Tipperary looked really strong this year, making the 2B league final they narrowly lost to Cork and would secure silverware in Munster defeating Kerry in the Intermediate Final. Jenny Grace has been very impressive this year for Tipp and was again a big influence in that Munster decider. 

Down’s second selection are a young side but certainly bring the hunger to be competitive in the Junior Premier this year. While they took just one win in Division 3B of the league and like Antrim had plenty of one sided games, they looked very impressive against Tyrone but fell to a 12 point defeat.

Group 2:

Limerick v Mayo, Saturday May 25th, Mick Neville Park, Rathkeale, 2pm

Group 2 will also see a double header in Rathkeale as Limerick, beaten in the 3B Final earlier in the year, welcome Mayo.

The Treaty Women lost that 3B decider 1-10 to 1-03 to Dublin back in March and since then went out and defeated Cork in the Munster Junior Final in an absolute thriller. Limerick had to dig deep to defeat Cork 1-11 to 0-13 and David Deady’s charges will look to better their quarter final finish last year in this campaign.

Beaten in the Nancy Murray Cup Final last year and finishing third in a group which contained their opponents on Saturday, a youthful Mayo side will look to be more competitive in the competition this year. Mayo looked strong in the league but have not played a game since that 1-7 to 0-6 defeat to Wicklow on March 23rd.

Laois v Cavan, Saturday May 25th, St. Fintan’s GAA, Mountrath, 2pm

Relegated from the Intermediate grade last year, Laois will look to begin their Premier Junior campaign on a positive note as they welcome Cavan to Mountrath.

Laois who finished as the top team in Division 3A this year suffered a painful defeat to Armagh in the decider as the title slipped through their grasp in the final minutes. Leinster followed and with it defeat to Wexford in the Intermediate Final, again in painful fashion a one point defeat in stoppage time. As the All Ireland series begins the chance to shake off those defeats and kick on.

Cavan meanwhile were relegated from Division 2A of the league as they suffered five straight defeats. In the Ulster semi-final they certainly gave Armagh a real battle in the end, defeated 1-16 to 2-08. Cavan have showcased their talents and made the quarter-finals last year, they will want to better that this season.