From a northern standpoint a rather disquieting aspect of the Bulmers All-Ireland Cups and Shields finals, which were completed at Dundalk on Saturday, was that Ulster clubs failed to win a trophy for a second successive year. In fact their last success was by Holywood in the Junior Cup at Portstewart in 1995.

This is the second such dearth in recent years. Ulster were also without success in the 1992 and 1993 campaigns, a situation which contrasted sharply with 1987, when Warrenpoint captured no fewer than four trophies.

Success in the Senior Cup and Barton Shield tends to be cyclical, as established players make way for new blood, but this should not apply to the other three competitions. The only possible explanation is that tighter handicapping could be a factor.

Either way, such concerns did not apply to the remarkable effort of Co Sligo in retaining the Senior Cup on Saturday to complete the so-called double double. A measure of this achievement is that it had not been done for 47 years, since the Joe Carr-inspired Sutton teams of 1949 and 1950.

The key to Sligo's success in the final against Limerick was that Kenneth Kearney, David Dunne and Kevin Flanagan remained unbeaten since the start of the 1996 campaign. For Limerick to have any chance, one felt that Tim Rice had to overcome Kearney, the reigning Irish Close champion, in the top match.

As it happened, they had a magnificent duel for 11 holes after which they were all square and four under par. Then, at the long 12th, Kearney had his fourth birdie at the par fives to take a one hole lead and he went further ahead at the next, which Rice three-putted.

Dunne had already won at number three when 16-year-old Sean McTernan came to the 18th, one up against South of Ireland champion Pat Collier. In a glorious finish, McTernan recovered from the misfortune of a deflected drive into trees, to secure the critical third point with a 25-foot putt for a par.

The remaining two matches were then called in. It is worth noting, however, that Flanagan, in the anchor position, was three up against Ger Vaughan with three to play.

With the Pierce Purcell Shield having gone to Thurles on Friday, Co Tipperary clubs completed a double when Nenagh gained their first success in the Jimmy Bruen Shield. It was an extremely tense affair in which two matches went to tie holes.

After the first of these had gone to Athlone, the destination of the trophy rested on the outcome of the anchor match. And Nenagh's Brendan Kennedy and Michael Scroope won it in style. After Scroope had hit a fine approach at the 19th, Kennedy sank an eightfoot putt for a winning birdie.