Old Conna won the Leinster Alliance Irish Times Shield for the fourth year in the last five at Woodbrook Golf Club, three shots clear of Slade Valley. Yesterday's tournament, which boasted 19 teams, was the 75th anniversary of The Irish Times involvement, the longest sponsorship with which the newspaper has been associated.

The competition is limited to single-handicap golfers and entry is the responsibility of the respective clubs. Old Conna's latest Irish Times Shield success contained familiar faces as captain Pat Hayde confirmed: "Declan Kerrigan and Ron Mason have played in all four while myself and Joe Drea played in three of the four."

The format is a four-man team with three scores to count and Old Conna, out early yesterday morning, obviously enjoyed the well-groomed Wicklow course. Kerrigan produced the best score of the day, shooting a nett 69, that included one birdie on the 11th and conceded it had been a solid round before adding that the pin positions had been generous. His affinity for Woodbrook can be gleaned from the fact that he won a Junior Scratch Cup here last year.

Five-handicapper Drea managed a fine 72 while Hayde was just two shots worse off, allowing Old Conna to dispense with Mason's 77, itself a decent round in the context of the competition. Slade Valley finished second with club professional John Dignam leading the way with a fine 71. Gary Donnelly (72) and Pat Lynch (75) were the others to count: Terry Lilly's 77 superfluous.

Kerrigan won the best individual nett, Greystones' Jim Hackett the best gross with a fine 74 while Dignam's one-under-par 71 prevailed in the professional's competition.