by Brendan Cole
Clontarf secured a vital win over fellow title challengers Young Munster to stay top of Division 1A of the Ulster Bank League but they have been joined at the top by St Mary's.
Munsters are one of the main contenders for the title but tries by Barry O’Mahony, Killian Lett and Niall Treston, combined with three Richie Lane penalties and a conversion were enough to secure a valuable 24-17 away win for Clontarf.
But a St Mary's bonus point win over Blackrock saw them join the northside Dublin club at the summit with three rounds to go. Two Conor Hogan tries and one each from Matt D’Arcy and Darren Hudson saw them claim a four-try win by 31-13.
The two are level on points at the top of the League with three rounds to go.
Elsewhere in the League, on a weekend in which Dublin clubs did particularly well, Lansdowne travelled to Cork and beat Dolphin 23-30 and Old Belvedere won a thriller at Dooradoyle, beating Garryowen 23-22.
The All-Munster clash between Shannon and Cork Con saw Limerick club Shannon come out on top, scoring three tries to one in a 19-9 win.
The results at the top mean the League looks almost certain to go to either Clontarf or Mary’s, though Young Munster and Cork Con will keep a close eye on the second last weekend of fixtures. The current League leaders are set to meet in a Saturday, 14 April clash at Castle Avenue that could prove decisive in the title race.
But while the trophy looks destined for Dublin, the chasers will hope it could open up again before that, and there are a vital set of fixtures coming up next week.
Cork Con are set to meet Mary’s at their home ground Temple Hill and the southerners will know that a win could see them get right back in the title shake-up. Young Munster, who play Lansdowne in Dublin, and Clontarf, who will play Garryowen at Castle Avenue, will have close eye on that fixture.
In Division 1B, all three of the top sides were beaten which means Belfast Harlequins remain four points clear of Ballynahinch and UL Bohemians.
P W D L F A +/- TB LB Pts
1 Clontarf 15 12 0 3 340 191 149 4 2 54
2 St. Mary's College 15 12 0 3 301 205 96 3 3 54
3 Young Munster 15 11 0 4 277 242 35 1 3 48
4 Cork Constitution 15 9 0 6 259 204 55 2 5 43
5 Lansdowne 15 8 0 7 361 302 59 4 4 40
6 Garryowen 15 7 1 7 266 236 30 3 6 39
7 Dolphin 15 6 0 9 253 285 -32 2 6 32
8 Shannon 15 4 2 9 227 304 -77 0 2 22
9 Blackrock College 15 3 0 12 205 425 -220 1 4 17
10 Old Belvedere 15 1 1 13 231 326 -95 0 10 16
