Latest news with #ShaunaLynch
BreakingNews.ie
29-05-2025
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Shauna Lynch confident Cavan can build on successful start to the season
Cavan captain Shauna Lynch is confident her county can build on their success in the league and the Ulster championship ahead of the All-Ireland. After a difficult couple of seasons, which saw Cavan relegated to Intermediate in 2023, and then to Division Three, the county already has two pieces of silverware under its belt. Advertisement After winning Division Three, Cavan defeated Down in the Intermediate Ulster final to go into this weekend's group three clash with Monaghan with further momentum. Ahead of the All-Ireland, Lynch is confident Cavan can keep this up, but knows how challenging the championship will be. "You are looking at all three groups where you can't pick a winner out of, which is unbelievable. "I think it is pushing teams on at training. From a national level, everyone is saying how competitive it is and how great it is for ladies football. Advertisement "Getting back to senior would be absolutely massive for Cavan. When we sat down at the start of the year, that was a goal in the future, and we have had an unbelievable start to the year, which has put us on the right track to getting Cavan back to where we think they should be." While the likes of Kerry and Armagh are out of Cavan's reach at the moment, Lynch is hoping her county will use them as inspiration for building on league victories. The Cavan captain is also keen to remind people of how strongly the county competed with the top sides of the country in the past, and is using it as motivation for the rest of the season. "Back when I first started playing with Cavan, we would have played the likes of Armagh, and we would have beaten them. "You look at how far they have come on, and it is unbelievable. You would hope it will inspire us to get back up to that level."
Belfast Telegraph
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
Antrim Ladies red hot favourites in Ulster Junior Final clash with derby rivals Derry
There's also a double-header at O'Neills Healy Park in Omagh for the TG4 Ulster Finals, with Antrim up against Derry in the Junior Final, while holders Down will take on Cavan in the Intermediate game. The Junior decider sees neighbours Antrim and Derry go head-to-head for the title which the Saffrons last won in 2022 and the Oak Leafs in 2018. Antrim will start the game as red-hot favourites. They and Galway are the only unbeaten teams in the country at inter-county level in 2025 and have carried their stunning Lidl National League form into the Championship. They won seven out of seven in the group phase of Division Four, clinching promotion comfortably in the process, before sealing silverware against Fermanagh. In the round-robin series of the Ulster Championship, Antrim racked up 4-12 against Derry in Round 1, before putting 4-21 past London. Derry will hope to be more competitive this time but it's difficult to see past Antrim in this one. Looking ahead, and having suffered relegation from the Intermediate ranks last year, Antrim will be a force to be reckoned with in the All-Ireland series. Meanwhile, Down will put their Intermediate crown on the line against an emerging Cavan outfit. Cavan are on the crest of a wave in recent times. Underage inter-county success has been achieved and Lidl All-Ireland post-primary school titles have been collected, which bodes well for the future. In the present, Cavan are basking in the glory of promotion back to Division Two of the Lidl National League, and Division Three silverware, and they've looked good in the Ulster to date also. Cavan achieved an impressive four-point Semi-Final victory over Monaghan, with captain Shauna Lynch starring at the back, while Lauren McVeety and elusive inside forward Aisling Gilsenan also sparkled. Down have also improved as the season has progressed. They finished three points adrift of a promotion place in Division Three and lost by 1-8 to 3-15 when they faced Cavan in the League. But an Ulster Semi-Final victory over Tyrone, a team who played Division One Football this year, provided clear evidence that Down won't give up their provincial crown without a fight. Eimear Fitzpatrick was in scintillating form on the day, scoring 1-5, including the winning point, as Down overturned a three-point deficit to emerge victorious by the bare minimum (2-10 to 1-12). With plenty of survivors from last year's Ulster Final, Down have bags of experience to call upon. There's also a Leinster Final double-header at TEG Cusack Park in Mullingar, with the Junior decider featuring Carlow and Louth followed by the Intermediate showpiece between Laois and Westmeath.
