Historic Munster title win for Charleville - the hard way
TRAILING by 1-13 to 0-6 at half-time in Limerick’s Gaelic Grounds to a well drilled Feakle, Co. Clare side, the Charleville Intermediate hurlers looked to be dead and buried, and nobody in the thousands of locals who had travelled in support gave them a chance of winning the contest.
Oh, ye of little faith, goes the old saying and it was never proved so true. There may have been drama in Ireland’s victory over the All Blacks on Saturday night rugby game but it was equalled, if not surpassed, by the drama of Charleville’s stunning comeback in hurling in Limerick on Sunday.
In the first half it looked as if they could do nothing right; the second period told a different story as they set about clawing their way back into contention. It took them all of 25 minutes of fierce, determined hurling before they reached parity with the opposition, and it was in extra time that they gained the upper hand to record a famous win and a first ever Munster final victory for the Charleville club on the score line of 2-20 t0 1-20.
The huge Charleville contingent revelled in the hard fought, pulsating victory that added another first in a year of firsts for the local club. Their first Junior ‘B’ county final. Their first Under 21 football championship and the first team in Cork County to win the Munster Junior Hurling Final and the Munster Intermediate Championship.
What the victory meant to local people was amply demonstrated in the town as thousands of people turned out to greet the victorious team who, led by pipers, paraded through the Main Street to the GAA Clubhouse in Baker’s Road, to be further feted by appreciative supporters.
For full back player Finbar Cagney it was a special occasion for he also celebrated his twenty-first birthday on Sunday and winning the Munster final will have special significance for him in years to come. Finbar is one of the two Cagney brothers on the team as the elder, Andrew, plays in the forward line for Charleville.