Juniors hope to set the ball rolling as Cork attempt double

CORK are bidding for an All-Ireland camogie championship double at Croke Park tomorrow.

Prior to the All-Munster senior clash of the Rebels and Tipperary, the Cork junior side face Down in the opening action at headquarters. The counties contested the first decider in this in 1968 - when the Northerners won, adding two more titles in 1976 and 1991.

The Cork side is managed by Lilian Zinkant and the county holds six titles, losing out to Kilkenny in the 2002 decider. “I suppose you could say that the juniors are in the shade a little, but it’s great to have two teams in the finals - especially in Centenary Year,” she said.

“The junior grade is important, a stepping stone to the senior team. I was carrying 28 players at the start of the season and we lost four players to the senior team. From the start of the year we wanted to have the two teams in the finals and we worked together with the seniors.”

Her late father George played with Sarsfields and in 1953 won a Cork county junior championship medal. The club didn’t win the East Cork title again until this year and she’s hoping that it will be a good omen.

Team captain is Valerie O’Keeffe, a Dublin-based garda from Timoleague. “We don’t know very much about Down, “but Northern teams are always tough to beat,” she said.