THURSDAY evening sees the start of the Junior Hurling Championship as the Biddies travel to Glenravel in the opening fixture of this season's championship.

North Belfast side Ardoyne will host Davitt's on Friday evening, whilst the weekend games will see Amoy host the men from Hannahstown, and Gorts travel north to face Ballymena natives All Saints.

The winners of Group A and B earn their spots in the semi-final of the tournament, with second and third facing the quarter-final route to fight for the last four in the tournament.

JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP

GROUP A

ST BRIGID'S

The Biddies are coming off a successful season which saw them crowned as Division Four champions earning promotion to the third tier after pipping Ardoyne to the title in the bottom division.

St Brigid's were defeated in last season's Junior B final by Belfast Saints but are entering the Junior competition for the first time and will be hopeful their league campaign can spur them on to an unprecedented double for the South Belfast side.

The Musgrave Park side will be out for revenge when they look to rectify one of the few defeats this season at the hands of Ardoyne back in June.

DAVITT'S

The green, white and gold men were semi-finalist last season where they were beaten by eventual winners Rasharkin back in 2024.

The Beechmount based side struggled this season during their Division Three campaign as they leaked over 300 points during the 12 game campaign, and finished just one position above the relegated St Enda's II.

Davitt's only managed four wins in their poor league showing, but they do boast the fact of playing in the better tier of Antrim's hurling scene compared to their fellow Group A competitors.

Lámh Dhearg were defeated by Davitt's in last year's quarter-final stage
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Lámh Dhearg were defeated by Davitt's in last year's quarter-final stage

ARDOYNE KICKHAMS

The North Belfast club entered this tier last season and did manage to overcome the group stage in their debut campaign but were defeated at the quarter-final stage last autumn.

Ardoyne have five previous hurling championship titles to their name with the last coming in 1988 when they clinched an Intermediate Hurling Championship at Casement Park.

This season they enter the Junior Championship with their sights firmly set on reaching another knock-out phase after a solid showing in their league season. Kickhams finished second in Division Four, only behind champions St Brigid's, who they did clinch a vital victory over late in the season, potentially showing their ability ahead of the championship campaign.

GLENRAVEL

The North Antrim side are arguably the strongest in Group A as they finished with five wins in the Third league division with a particular standout performance at Davitt Park when they thrashed their Group A rivals by 20 points at the end of June.

Con Magee's did strike 242 points in their league campaign averaging 22 points a game this season proving to be a high scoring side in Divison Three.

This season is Glenravel's best chance at championship glory since 2021 when they were previously crowned as champions of the Kevin Grieve Cup. No doubt the North Antrim side will be hoping to etch their name on the trophy for a third time in history.

GROUP A FIXTURES

Glenravel v St Brigid's - 24th July - Glenravel 

Ardoyne v Davitts - 25th July - Ardoyne

St Brigid's v Davitts - 9th August - NEUTRAL

Glenravel v Ardoyne - 10th August - NEUTRAL

St Brigid's v Ardoyne - 22nd August - Musgrave

Davitts v Glenravel - 23rd August - Davitt Park

GROUP A PREVIEW

This group has the potential for some entertaining hurling with St Brigid's entering their debut season after clinching the fourth tier, they will no doubt be hoping to cause an upset in the Junior level.

Meanwhile Glenravel will no doubt be one of the favourites for the competition and will be hoping they can repeat their success of four years ago, however, both Ardoyne and Davitt's will be hoping they can stir the pot in Group A as both side's hope to add a Junior title to their trophy room.

PREDICTED POSITION

1- Con Magee's Glenravel (SEMI-FINAL)
2- Ardoyne Kickhams
3- St Brigid's 
4- Davitt's

Ardoyne will be hoping to bring the Kevin Grieve Cup back to North Belfast
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Ardoyne will be hoping to bring the Kevin Grieve Cup back to North Belfast

GROUP B

ARMOY

Glen Rovers have been the nearly men in recent seasons after finishing runners-up in back-to-back seasons in the Junior Championship.

A strong Division Three campaign saw them finish third in the division, only behind the hurling strongholds of Dunloy II and Ballycastle II, but did manage a victory over Group B competitors Gort na Móna and drew with Lámh Dhearg at Hannahstown earlier in the campaign.

Armoy will be hoping for third time's the charm, after having never previously won the competition. Last season's bitterly disappointing defeat to Rasharkin could be just what is needed to spur them on to glory this year.

LÁMH DHEARG

The Hannahstown side enjoyed a strong campaign which saw them finish in the top half in Division Three after they enjoyed victories over Davitts and enjoyed the biggest winning margin in the third tier this year when they thumped St Enda's by 29 scores in May.

Last season Lámh Dhearg fell at the quarter-final stage after fellow West Belfast side Davitt's stunned the white and red side when they clinched a three point victory.

The Red Hands will be hopeful they can end a hurling title drought of almost a decade when they previously won the competition back in 2016.

ALL SAINTS BALLYMENA

Ballymena are fresh on the small ball scene in recent years and will be hoping that their Division Four debut campaign, which saw them finish fourth, can give them confidence that they can compete at the Junior level.

Last year saw a Group Stage exit after they finished bottom of their group and exited the competition after a winless campaign. 

GORT NA MÓNA

Once a proud hurling stronghold at the foot of the Black Mountain, in recent years Gort na Móna have fallen by the wayside in Antrim's small ball game.

Relegation to the bottom tier two seasons ago was a real low for Gorts after playing in Division One not too long ago. It's been a past five years of hardship, with inability to field squads being a killer for Gorts.

A third Junior title could be the remedy for their hurling illness and galvanise the two-time winners, after their only previous appearances in the Junior competition being successful ones back in 2017 and 2019 respectively.

GROUP B PREVIEW

On paper this group has the makings for one that could cause a real stir amongst the third tier of Antrim hurling, with the all-West Belfast clash of Lámh Dhearg and Gort being the tie of interest, but no doubt Armoy will enter the competition as the outright favourites as they look to rectify two years of pain in the final.

Ballymena will be out to prove they are not the whipping boys of Group B, as they will look to become a thorn in the side of their three group stage competitors as the Junior stage kicks off this weekend.

The Móna men have won the Junior Championsip on their previous two entries
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The Móna men have won the Junior Championsip on their previous two entries

PREDICTED POSITION

1- Gort na Móna (SEMI-FINAL)
2- Armoy
3- Lámh Dhearg
4- Ballymena

GROUP B FIXTURES

Armoy v Lamh Dhearg - 26th July -  Armoy

Ballymena v Gort na Mona - 27th July - Ballymena

Lámh Dhearg v Gort na Mona - 10th August - NEUTRAL

Glenravel v Armoy - 10th August - NEUTRAL

Armoy v Ballymena - 24th August - Armoy 

Lámh Dhearg v Gort na Mona - 24th August - Hannahstown