Impressive Carton helps Waterford to back to back wins.

The day started badly for Antrim with their bus breaking down near Dundalk as they journeyed south followed by the inevitable nervous delay. Luckily they weren't too late for their game thanks to a lift from the Derry u16's heading to the same venue to face Cork in the second game of the day.

The red, white and Saffron bus eventually rolled into Donaghmore, Ashbourne but the upheaval showed, however, in Antrim's sleepy start to the game following a hasty warm-up, for within ten minutes Waterford had blasted three goals and two points past them   leaving them with a mountain to climb.

Waterford showed great speed and excellent movement in piling up scores with Megan Dunford and Siebal Harney supreme in midfield and Captain Ashling Power and Niamh Murphy making space and running into the gaps in the Saffron defence with devastating effect.

The Antrim girls tried hard to respond but found themselves chasing shadows for most of the first half. A late rally from Antrim saw Niamh McKee take three successive points from play followed by good scores from Niamh Enright and Tori Edgar to take the edge off Waterford's domination and leave a half -time score of Antrim 0-05 Waterford 4-07

The second half was a much more even affair with Dervla Cosgrove taking an early goal and point for Antrim to give them hope of a revival but the Déise camógs replied with two quick points from full forward Kate McMahon.

Antrim came back almost at once with a stylish goal from Tori Edgar who gave the Waterford defence plenty to think about as she combined with Cosgrove and McKee in a short period of Antrim domination. A breakaway goal for Waterford from Niamh Murphy was another big setback for Antrim but they replied bravely with a couple of points from Dervla Cosgrove   and a goal from Niamh Mckee.

Substitute Sephra O'Connell came on to freshen  up the Antrim attack and managed a quick point but things started to go wrong for Antrim as the game progressed with Waterford taking two more goals in quick breaks while Antrim wasted an alarming number of genuine goal opportunities. Final score Antrim 3-09 Waterford 7-12. Yet it could all have been very different.

Laoch na hImeartha (Girl of the game) goes to Waterford's number 11 Beth Carton"

 Report Courtesy of Declan Drohan