Antrim’s semi-final form stokes Carlow fears

CARLOW captain Robbie Foley texted manager Eoin Garvey before their Christy Ring Cup semi-final against Down to tell him he was sure they would beat the Ulster side.

Garvey sent only two words back in reply: “I know”. Hardly anyone outside the Carlow panel shared that conviction, but Foley and Garvey were proved right when the Leinster side pulled off a huge shock by advancing to tomorrow’s final in Croke Park despite conceding five goals in Mullingar’s Cusack Park.

As Down defeated Antrim by 16 points earlier in the tournament, Carlow’s chances of defeating the Glensmen tomorrow might look peachy to the uninitiated — but that result has been written off by everyone as a freak of nature.