Despite last season ending on a cliffhanger that could hardly have been more dramatic, the Ulster Bank League will be decidedly differently this year.

Highfield 9 UCC 14

The two leading clubs in Division 1B played out a keenly-contested top-of-the-table clash at Dubarry Park where Buccaneers prevailed on a 24-17 scoreline.

A converted try fourteen minutes into the second half gave Buccaneers a tight 12-8 victory over Division 1B rivals UL Bohemian at Annacotty.

NEWTOWN SCHOOL put two years of heartbreak behind them at windy Clonmel yesterday when they ended Midleton’s three-year reign as Mungret Cup champions with a deserved triumph in an absorbing decider.