A round-up of all the action from the second round of the AIB Cup.
UCC 37-0 Portadown
Team captain Sam Cronin led by example as UCC gained a comfortable passage through to the AIB Cup third round, accounting for Portadown at the Mardyke.
The Ports, the current Division Three leaders, made a fight of it in the first half and only trailed by 8-0 at half-time.
Full-back Sean Scanlon got over for UCC's opening try, after Scott Deasy had opened the scoring with a penalty.
But the second half saw one-way traffic as scrum half Cronin, centre Deasy, winger Brian Derham and replacement hooker John Moynihan all touched down for the Cork students.
Young Munster 18-15 Belfast Harlequins
Young Munster recovered from conceding seven points inside four minutes to end Belfast Harlequins' AIB Cup hopes at Tom Clifford Park.
Rory Blake-Knox capitalised on an attempted clearance to race in for the early try for the visitors, which full-back Keith Pyper converted.
Pierre Duboit kicked a Young Munster penalty, but Miles O'Hagan's drop goal had 'Quins 10-3 in front at the interval.
Prop David O'Dwyer notched an early second half try for Young Munster and after 57 minutes, hooker and former Schools international Ger Slattery added a penalty to edge the hosts 11-10 in front.
Team captain Derek Corcoran rounded off a superb three-quarters move for another Cookies try and Slattery slotted over the conversion.
Two minutes from the end, 'Quins had a second try when former Ulster centre Shane Stewart went over in the corner, but it was too little, too late.
Ards 14-13 Old Wesley
Ards beat their Division Three compatriots Old Wesley by a single point in a lively encounter at Hamilton Park.
The Newtownards outfit made it through to the AIB Cup's third round for the first time in their history.
Following up on their 34-10 opening round win over Suttonians, Ards outlasted Wesley during a tightly-contested second half.
The sides were level at 8-8 at the break but a Stewart Paul drop goal and Ajay Derwin's second penalty of the afternoon sent the hosts through.
Ballynahinch 33-10 County Carlow
Ballynahinch proved too strong for County Carlow at Ballymacarn Park this afternoon, thanks to an exciting five-try display.
Unbeaten in the AIB League and top of the Division two table, 'Hinch built up a 21-3 interval lead.
They had converted tries from Michael Graham and Adam Craig, adding to an 11th-minute penalty try.
Billy Murphy kicked a sole first half penalty for a largely second strong Carlow side.
He also converted a 70th-minute try from Steve Dalton, but further tries from Harry McAleese and Niall McBriar, with Ryan Bambury adding the extras to McBriar's score, eased 'Hinch to victory.
Bective Rangers 13-6 Terenure College
Division One's basement side Terenure College fell to their Dublin rivals in a hard-fought clash at Donnybrook.
Bective Rangers pulled through, with Jack Ryan's penalty proving to be the only score of the entire second half.
Out-half David McAllister had kept 'Nure in touch with two first half penalties.
But a Val Baynes try, which Ryan converted to add to a penalty, steered Bective ahead and put them on their way to a deserved win.
Blackrock College 20-40 Shannon
In what was a repeat of last season's final, Shannon began their defence of the AIB Cup title with a stylish win over Blackrock College.
Shannon took early control of this Stradbrook tie thanks to in-form out-half Tadhg Bennett.
He kicked two penalties and added a conversion to tries from Marcus O'Driscoll and Fionn McLoughlin as the visitors claimed an 18-6 half-time lead.
'Rock rallied with two converted tries from centre Kyle Tonetti, however touchdowns from Andrew Finn, Bennett and Richie Mullane saw Shannon gain revenge for their recent 41-27 league defeat at this venue.
Buccaneers 20-18 Clontarf
Division One leaders Clontarf came a-cropper at Dubarry Park as Buccaneers scrapped their way to a memorable AIB Cup win.
Two penalties from Alan Gaughan in the final quarter saw Buccs come from 18-14 down with a late surge.
The Pirates, missing all of their Connacht players bar scrum half Conor O'Loughlin, grabbed an early try through Adrian Hanley.
'Tarf led 11-7 at the break thanks to scores from Daragh O'Shea (penalty), Peter O'Brien (drop goal) and Ben Reilly (try).
Kolo Kiripati burst through for a Buccs try on the resumption. Former Buccs favourite Niall O'Brien then touched down at the other end but Gaughan ensured the home side had the last laugh.
Dolphin 64-0 Malone
Dolphin rewrote the history books at Musgrave Park this afternoon as they thumped Malone 64-0 to ease through to the third round of the AIB Cup.
David O'Mahony's side were in fine form as they ran in ten tries on the way to recording the club's biggest ever AIB League or Cup win.
The Belfast visitors did not know what hit them as Dolphin's Paul Hurley, Timmy O'Callaghan, Gary O'Keeffe and James Coughlan shared out four first half tries.
There was no let up from the hosts after the break, as Barry O'Mahony, Hurley (2), Coughlan, Robbie Allen and Rory Kenneally all mercilessly crossed the whitewash.
Garryowen 37-13 Thomond
In front 20-3 at the interval, Garryowen gave one of their best displays of the season when they outgunned Thomond at Dooradoyle.
Ciaran O'Boyle scored two tries for the light blues, for whom full-back Conor Kilroy was once again in superb kicking form.
He landed three penalties and converted three of the four tries for a personal haul of 15 points.
Lorcan Bourke and Conor Hartigan were the other try scorers in a one-sided affair with Willie Staunton also landing a conversion.
Thomond's best performer was Declan Cusack, who got one of their two tries. He also kicked a penalty with the other try being scored by Brian Buckley.
Old Belvedere 25-22 Ballymena (AET)
Scrum half Ruairi Cushion was the hero for Old Belvedere as he landed an extra-time penalty to end Ballymena's resistance at Anglesea Road.
In an epic battle, Belvedere prevailed after two periods of extra-time, during which Cushion, the hosts' third place-kicker of the afternoon, managed to split the posts.
The Dublin 4 outfit led 12-0 early on thanks to tries from Marcus McAllister and David Mongan, with Eamonn Fitzgerald kicking one conversion.
But Ballymena bounced back to end the first half 15-12 ahead - Peter Budina and captain Ian Caldwell both touched down and Kiwi Tommy Woods kicked the other five points.
An intercept try from Woods' opposite number, Kieran Hurrell, saw Belvedere shoot back into the lead after the restart.
The drama continued as a try from Sam McKinney, the son of former Ireland and Lions player Stuart McKinney, had Ballymena leading 22-17.
Leo Auva'a then sprung into space to score Belvedere's fourth try, and with the conversion missed, the game went to extra-time.
Old Crescent 11-15 Bruff
Bruff made a whirlwind start against Old Crescent at Rosbrien and raced into a 15-0 lead before the home side improved in the second half.
Speedster Finbarr Hogan raced in for Bruff's opening try after 12 minutes. David Maw added a penalty, five minutes later.
In what was all one-way traffic, Martin O'Rourke had a second Bruff try which Maw converted.
Brian O'Shea gave Old Crescent hope with a second half penalty and JP Hartigan had another penalty.
When Trevor Bowles got in for a try for Old Crescent, it set up this Limerick derby for a grandstand finish.
But of these Division Two rivals, Bruff were the ones to hold their nerve and progress to the next round.
Rainey Old Boys 10-41 UCD
Neil Cowhey ended a good news week for UCD by scoring a hat-trick of tries as the students pressed their AIB Cup claims at Rainey.
The appropriately named Hatrick Park bore witness to a lively start from UCD, as out-half Cowhey got over for two tries.
The 20-year-old out-half's effort helped the visitors to a 22-10 half-time lead. Experienced prop Peter Boyle grabbed Rainey's only try.
Further touchdowns from Matt Nagle, Robert Shanley and Cowhey saw the winning margin widen for a UCD side that will have the services of prop Ben Barclay for the forseeable future after he decided against declaring for the USA.
St Mary's College 13-15 Cork Constitution
Ireland number 8 Denis Leamy helped Cork Constitution to a gripping over St Mary's College at Templeville Road.
Leamy, who packed down alongside his brother Ed, proved to be the match winner as his second half converted try saw the Leesiders come from 13-8 down at half-time.
Mary's drew first blood with a Shaun McCarthy penalty, but Richie Lane quickly replied at the other end and then Con winger Cronan Healy tapped a penalty and finished off a fine counter-attacking move for a 23rd minute try.
Mary's got on top though for the remainder of the first half, with McCarthy kicking a penalty and the Australian then converted a late try for full-back Darragh Fanning, which Conor McPhillips did well to set up.
The Dubliners dug their heels in and held onto their lead until pressure near their try-line told and Leamy burst over from close range.
Lane's conversion had Con 15-13 ahead and when referee Alain Rolland missed what seemed to be two successive breakdown infringements by the visitors, the Mary's faithful were incensed.
The home side battled on, teeing up a drop goal attempt for McCarthy. The effort was blocked, however, and Con, who also had Munster's Denis Hurley in their starting line-up, held on to make the third round draw.
UL Bohemians 18-10 Dungannon
Martin McPhail was the star of the show for UL Bohemians as they got the better of Division One rivals Dungannon in an entertaining contest at Annacotty.
The winger and club captain crossed in each half in a game in which former Munster star Shaun Payne went into the action for the home side.
The South African showed off all the skills that made him such a vital member of Munster squad during their Heineken Cup successes.
Fergal Lawlor kicked an early penalty for the home side but they soon conceded a breakaway try, which was scored by Chris Cochrane and converted by James Shiells.
Shiells also dropped a goal but a second penalty by Lawlor sealed it for the home side.
AIB Cup Third Round
Saturday 10 January 10 2009, 14:30
Dolphin V Ards
Galwegians / Highfield V Nenagh Ormond / Barnhall
Young Munster V UCD
Shannon V Ballynahinch
Buccanneers V UL Bohemians
UCC V Old Belvedere
Bruff V Cork Constitution
Bective Rangers V Garryowen
