Weekend Previews- Minors begin Leinster campaign with Wexford test, Intermediates hope to make it four from four with Laois clash, while Under 16s hope to secure All Ireland final date with Rebel encounter.

Friday 5^th August 2016 

Leinster Minor Camogie Championship Semi-Final

Kilkenny vs Wexford

Venue: Thomastown 7.30pm Referee: TBC

The Kilkenny minor team will begin the defence of their Leinster title when they entertain Wexford in the Leinster Semi-Final on Friday evening.

Kilkenny had a good run in the All-Ireland series finishing just behind Tipperary in second place in the table that saw them qualify for the All-Ireland semi-finals. They began the campaign with a narrow loss to Tipperary 2-12 to 3-07.  They bounced back with victories over Clare 3-07 to 0-08 points, Offaly 2-06 to 1-06 and Dublin 3-07 to 1-11 to qualify for the All-Ireland semi-final where they just came up short to Galway 0-12 points to 1-05.

Wexford, on the other hand had a disappointing campaign that saw them finish bottom of the table in the All-Ireland series. They began the campaign with a 3-12 to 2-05 defeat to Limerick. In their second game they suffered a 6-08 to 2-11 defeat to Galway. They bounced back with a 3-09 to 3-07 victory over Waterford. In their final game they came up short to Cork 1-12 to 0-07.

Both sides will be going into the contest hoping to bounce back from defeats in the All-Ireland series. The last time the sides met was in the Leinster series last year where Kilkenny recorded a 2-10 to 0-12 victory.

This contest has the added bite of being a local derby and Wexford will provide a stern test. I feel Kilkenny may prove that bit too strong for Wexford and progress through to a final spot against Dublin or Offaly at the end of the month but it will be a tough assignment.

Saturday 6^th August 2016 
Liberty Insurance Intermediate Camogie Championship Group 1
Kilkenny vs Laois
Venue: Tullaroan 2.30pm Referee: John Dolan (Clare)

 The Kilkenny Intermediate team will hope to continue their good run of form and make it four wins from four when they finish their All-Ireland group stages with a home tie with Laois on Saturday.

Both sides are going into this tie with different agendas. Laois need to win on Saturday to secure a semi-final place. Kilkenny have one foot in the semi-finals as the only way they can be prevented of the place is if Laois defeat them by more than 35 points.

Laois are having a mixed campaign. They began the series with two wins on the spin over Antrim 4-09 to 2-06 and Wexford 2-12 to 1-08. They suffered a defeat to 2-13 to 0-14 points a fortnight ago, and as a result they need to defeat the Cats on Saturday to progress through. A loss and a Tipperary victory over Antrim means there All-Ireland ambitions for 2016 are over.

Laois have some talented players among their ranks with Sarah Ann Fitzgerald and Louise Mahoney showing impressive form in the All-Ireland series to date. The last time the sides met was in the league when Laois edged the Cats 0-09 points to 1-02 in a game that was a dead rubber for Kilkenny but a must win for Laois, a similar position to Saturday’s contest.

I feel Kilkenny are displaying some very impressive form so far and I feel they may prove too strong for Laois on Saturday and should claim victory, but I expect a tough encounter.

Saturday 7^th August 2016 

All Ireland U16A Camogie Championship Semi- final

Kilkenny vs Cork
Venue: MacDonagh Park, Nenagh Referee: Eamon Cassidy (Derry)

The Kilkenny under 16 team will hope to continue their good vein of form and progress through to the All-Ireland Final when they take on Cork on Sunday.

The Kilkenny side secured safe passage through to Sunday’s semi-final by running through the Group stages undefeated. They began the campaign with a 2-14 to 1-10 victory over Waterford. They followed this up with a 4-18 to 0-07-point victory over Limerick. In  their third game they emerged victorious after an impressive defensive display against Dublin 0-10 points to 0-03. In their final group game, they proved too strong for Clare and recorded an impressive 3-26 to 1-04 victory on Sunday last.

Sundays opponents Cork are also displaying a good run of form and finished second behind Galway in the group table. They began their campaign with a highly impressive 8-14 to 1-06 victory over Offaly. They followed this up with a 0-13 points (Cork) to 2-07 (Tipperary) draw with Tipperary. In their third game they defeated Wexford 2-11 to 1-4. In their final game on Sunday last they just came up short against Galway 4-08 to 1-14 to secure Sunday’s showdown.

This game has all the halmarks of being a classic encounter with both sides processing the scoring touch. Kilkenny are a side that are developing in each game. I expect Cork to provide a real stern test for Kilkenny on Sunday. I feel Kilkenny may prove that bit too strong for Cork on Sunday but I expect the contest to go right down to the wire.