Malone lost their unbeaten record, but not the lead, in Division Two when their scalp was finally taken by De La Salle Palmerston at Kilternan, and the manner of their downfall was nothing short of agonising.
Two minutes into injury time Malone were clinging desperately to a one-point lead when referee Olan Trevor spotted an indiscretion. The shrill of the whistle and raised arm indicated a penalty. Dave O'Riordan couldn't miss from in front of the posts. It ended 17-15 with the home crowd in jubilant voice.
Wanderers maintained their drive to the top with a workmanlike 13-8 win at Skerries. At the end of the first quarter, wing Dan O'Sullivan stepped up to make an interception from fully 40 metres out and had the speed to make the line. Allied to the kicking of Eric Olazabal, this was the one moment that had the biggest effect on the game.
Dungannon are looking more and more like promotion material. They came from behind twice to beat Old Belvedere 30-21 at Stevenson Park. David Humphreys was in the mood to torture the opposition. He snapped up a try in a 15-point contribution that was most remarkable for his control of the game, especially in the second half.
Ricky McIlmoyle orchestrated Old Crescent's demise at Chambers Park. The Portadown kicking machine gave an exhibition with the boot. He struck five penalties and two drop goals to ensure a 2119 win. Understandably, the home players were driven by the sad death, last week, of their immediate past president, John McQuitty.
Ballynahinch are definitely out of their league. They were given a 30-15 beating by UCC at The Mardyke, although they did more than hold their own in the first half. Three penalties from centre Philip Nelson gave them a 9-8 lead. That was to disappear all too quickly. Two minutes into the new half Peter Stringer evaded a posse of would-be tacklers on his way to the corner flag. That was the cue for Darragh Moran to spring into action. He pounced for a pair of touchdowns.
New Zealander Warren Johnston proved his worth to Bective Rangers by striking 14 points in a 19-16 victory over Dolphin. Really, it was a John Hannon try in the 32nd minute that helped Rangers wrestle control away from Dolphin, who had started the game with more conviction.
In Division Three pace-setters Monkstown were felled by the kicking of Corinthians' George Wright in Galway.
The full back wasn't even supposed to be on the field. Ronnie Ferguson had been selected ahead of Wright, only to develop the flu at the end of the week. When pressed into action, Wright responded by nailing four first-half penalties.
That was good enough to undo Monkstown as the poor conditions made constructive rugby most difficult. A Rory Vance drop goal before the break and a Greg McWilliams penalty seven minutes after it made the score 12-6. But, influential second row Mick Gilleran was forced to leave the field with a knee injury. This took some of the sting out of the losers' pack and certainly assisted in Corinthians' defence of the lead.
