An attendance of 2,500 was treated to a six-try thriller - three to each side - as Buccaneers put in a storming finish to earn a share of the points against County Carlow at the Oak Park grounds yesterday.

With just nine minutes of normal time remaining, the home side led 22-3. But, in the remaining 16 minutes of play, Buccaneers struck for three tries, with Colm Glynn converting two.

In fact, Glynn would have won the game if he hadn't missed the conversion of team captain Eoin Brennan's well-taken try seven minutes into injury-time.

It was the home side who struck for the opening score when captain Andy Melville went over for an unconverted try. A Colm Glynn penalty just on half-time left the visitors trailing 5-3.

County Carlow's Matt Waterhouse kicked a penalty two minutes after the break and, in the 49th minute, right wing, Mark Buckley scored a magnificent breakaway try which Waterhouse converted.

Carlow's Bobby Baggott then scampered over for a try under the posts, with Waterhouse adding the points. But Buccaneers, who were a little unlucky to be 22-3 in arrears, put in a storming finish.

SCORERS - County Carlow: A Melville, M Buckley, B Baggott one try each. M Watterhouse two con one pen. Buccaneers: I DIllon, C Keane, E Brennan one try each. C Glynn two cons, one pen.

COUNTY CARLOW: M Spiller; M Buckley, M Waterhouse, R Armstrong, I Dwyer, B Murphy; R Jones, P Brennan; C Gee, L Hannon, L O'Byrne, W Whitton, D Cox, D Hyland, A Melville. Replacements: B Baggott for Cox (49); H Pitcher for Armstrong (71).

BUCCANEERS: J Maher; M Devine, C Keane, W Wallace, T Robinson, C GLynn, C O'Loughlin, J Screene, P Flanagan, M Cahill, G Schoeman, N Smullen, I DIllon, E Brennan, A Hanley. Replacement: S Lucas for Wallace (74).

Referee: S Flannery (Munster).