William Buckley’s Game-Saving Performance Gives Barrs a Point as Charleville Laments Missed Opportunities

Hard-Fought Draw: St. Finbarr’s and Charleville battle to Hurling League Tie

In a redfm Division 1 Hurling League match marked by intense competition and challenging weather conditions, St.finbarr’s and charleville ended in a draw friday evening in Togher, leaving fans on teh edge of their seats until the final whistle.

March 22, 2025

The final score, St Finbarr’s 1-15, Charleville 0-18, reflects a game where neither side could gain a significant advantage. William Buckley’s clutch point in the 60th minute, his fifth from play, tied the game for the ninth and final time. The drama wasn’t over, however.A potential game-winning opportunity for St. Finbarr’s was thwarted by Jack Meade’s excellent defensive play, dispossessing Cork senior Jack Cahalane in the crucial final seconds.

Charleville then launched a counter-attack. Jack Doyle drove forward, but his handpass failed to find a teammate, resulting in a turnover and solidifying the draw. Indeed, most observers felt, “the draw was a just result.”

Key Moments and Turning Points

Charleville held the largest lead of the game, a three-point advantage in the 41st minute, making the score 0-12 to 1-6. However, this lead was short-lived. The fact that “at no other point was there more than two white flags between the teams,” highlights the seesaw nature of the contest.

St. Finbarr’s closed the gap in the 45th minute when Ciaran Doolan found William Buckley, narrowing Charleville’s lead to two. This marked the beginning of a significant shift in momentum.

Despite Charleville’s early second-half advantage,their inability to convert opportunities into scores kept st. Finbarr’s in the game. Charleville’s six wides in the third quarter, exceeding the five points they scored, proved costly. As the report noted, “The Barrs should have been in trouble at that stage, Charleville should have been out of sight.But six wides in the third quarter exceeded the 0-5 they had fired over on the restart and so the hosts were well within a chance.”

St Finbarr’s then capitalized, scoring five consecutive points to take a 1-11 to 0-12 lead with only 10 minutes remaining. However, Charleville responded with scores from Andrew Cagney and Sean Bresnan, leveling the game for the seventh time at 56 minutes.

the closing minutes were filled with dramatic lead changes. Conor Buckley put Charleville ahead, Conor McCarthy equalized, Conor Buckley again edged Charleville in front, before William Buckley ultimately secured the draw for St Finbarr’s in the dying moments.

weather and Inaccuracy Play a Role

The rainy conditions earlier in the day evidently impacted the players’ accuracy. St Finbarr’s recorded 13 wides, while Charleville had 15. the report stated, “The rain earlier in the day certainly played its part as St Finbarr’s finished with 13 wides, Charleville 15. Their concluding wide counts weren’t much of a surprise given how inaccurate both sides were in the opening 10.”

In the opening stages, both teams struggled to find their range. They combined for nine misses before doyle scored his second point, putting Charleville ahead 0-2 to 0-1. The game then developed into a back-and-forth affair.

The teams were tied at four points each after 17 minutes, reflecting the evenness of the contest.

First-Half Exchanges

Charleville briefly broke the cycle of tit-for-tat scoring with points from david Riordan and Doyle, giving them a two-point lead. However, adam Buckley responded with a score before setting up Sam Cunningham for a goal just before halftime.

Adam Buckley, playing as a corner-forward due to a muscle strain, collected the sliotar and passed it to the onrushing Cunningham, who “buried it across goal,” giving St Finbarr’s a 1-5 to 0-6 lead after 28 minutes. The home side maintained this lead until halftime but conceded it shortly after the restart.

Keane’s Impact on Doyle

Eoin Keane’s improved marking of Jack Doyle in the second half proved crucial for St. Finbarr’s. Doyle, who had enjoyed space in the first half, found it much harder to influence the game after the break. “The room to roam that Doyle enjoyed in the first half disappeared in the second as he was well marshalled by Eoin Keane.Keane’s efforts did a lot to help the Barrs – particularly when they were off the pace early in the second period.”

Match Summary

Even with the swings in momentum, the match always felt destined for a draw. According to the match report, “Though plenty more drama would follow – this contest was always poised to end level.”

Player Statistics and Team Lineups

Team	Top Scorers
St Finbarr’s	W Buckley 0-10 (0-5 f), S Cunningham 1-1
Charleville	J Doyle 0-8 (0-4 f), C Buckley, S Bresnan 0-3 each

Team Lineups

ST FINBARR’S: S Hurley; B O’Connell, E Keane, S Kennedy; A Barry, C Doolan, T Egan; C Steele, C McCarthy; A Buckley, J cahalane, W Buckley; K O’Flynn, S Cunningham, C O’Connor.

Sub: J O’Brien for O’Flynn (HT).

CHARLEVILLE: C reynolds; D Butler, J Meade, B O’Connell; A Dennehy, J Buckley, R Carroll; S Bresnan, C O’Carroll; D Riordan, C Buckley, J Doyle; G Gleeson, A Cagney, S Liddy.

Subs: M O’Flynn for O’Connell, J Madigan for Liddy (both HT), K O’Gorman for Riordan (45), J O’Brien for Gleeson (53).

Referee: Niall Fahy (Brian Dillons)

What tactical changes might Charleville need to implement to overcome St. Finbarr’s dominance in marking?

Hurling League Analysis: An Interview wiht Analyst, Liam O’Connell

Archyde News: Welcome, Liam. St. Finbarr’s and Charleville’s thrilling draw on Friday night certainly had everyone talking. As a hurling analyst, what were your initial takeaways from the game?

Liam O’Connell: Thanks for having me. It was a fantastic game, a real advertisement for Division 1 hurling. The back-and-forth nature of it,the dramatic lead changes,really kept you on the edge of your seat. Both teams showed great resilience, with St. Finbarr’s and Charleville battling it out until the final whistle.

Key Turning points and Momentum Shifts

Archyde News: The game seemed to swing back and forth. What were some of the key moments where the momentum shifted?

Liam O’Connell: Charleville’s early advantage in the second half, where they missed a few opportunities, proved costly. St Finbarr’s capitalized on the turnovers through some excellent scoring, going five points up at one stage. Then Charleville responded. Key moments like William Buckley’s late,clutch point were crucial at the end.

The Impact of the Weather and Accuracy

Archyde News: The report mentioned inaccuracy due to the weather. How significant was this?

Liam O’Connell: The rainy conditions clearly impacted the players. The 13 wides for St.Finbarr’s and 15 for Charleville are good indicators. Accuracy was a real issue, especially early on, which contributed to the tight scoreline in the end.

Individual Performances and tactical Adjustments

Archyde News: We saw some notable individual performances as well, right?

Liam O’Connell: Definitely. William Buckley for St. Finbarr’s was outstanding, and J.Doyle of Charleville was very influential early on. Eoin Keane’s marking of Doyle in the second half was a significant tactical adjustment. It really limited his impact on the game, especially when Charleville were off the pace.

The Meaning of the Draw

Archyde News: The ultimate result was a draw.From your perspective,was this a fair outcome?

Liam O’Connell: Absolutely. The report noted that the draw was a just result for both sides. In a game as closely contested as this, the draw reflects the balance of play and the efforts of both teams. It felt like, nonetheless of the swings, it was always meant to be a draw.

Looking Ahead

Archyde News: Looking ahead to the rest of the Division 1 Hurling League season, what are your predictions? Can both St. Finbarr’s and charleville contend at the top?

Liam O’Connell: Absolutely. Both teams showed quality and potential. With the right adaptations and fine tweaks, they most certainly can contend. Especially considering many teams are under new management this season, it will be interesting to see how it shakes out. However, with teams like Dublin and Waterford considered favourites to go up from Division 1B, the competition is fierce.

What do you think the key will be for St. Finbarr’s or Charleville to secure a spot in the top tier? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!