A FLAVOUR of what yesterday meant to UCD can be inferred from the words of Des Cullinane, chairman of Comhairle Ard Oideachais. In a gracious presentation speech (not easy for the coach of UCC, UCD's semi-final victims), he congratulated the Dublin team on taking the cup for "the first time since nineteen-whatever".

UCD's first Sigerson since 1985 is the most obvious statistic to emerge from this year's premier third-level football competition, sponsored by Murphy's, but one of only several memories from an excellent weekend splendidly staged. at Plassey, by the University of Limerick club.

Two of the three matches provided a great standard of football - the other was awful, but not without its own Gothic charm - and tense, eventful finales.

Without impugning the battling spirit of the Garda College, it would be fair to say that in the final UCD were responsible for the double achievement of some spectacular football, which put them nine points clear after the first quarter, and some spectacular lapses of concentration, which ensured a cliff-hanger for the crowd during the final quarter.

In less than 10 minutes, UCD had scored two goals. The first was made by the young Mayo corner forward David Nest or, who had an excellent final. Operating on the right, he caused alarm for Garda every time he got the ball.

On seven minutes, he left his marker set in stone before drawing a great save from Cork goalkeeper Kevin O'Dwyer. In came Mayo veteran Anthony `Larry' Finnerty to put away the rebound.

Yesterday was Larry's fourth Sigerson medal: the first three were won with UCG in the early 1980s. A post-graduate student at Belfield, his presence at full forward has contributed substantially to the victorious campaign. Aside from his qualities as a reliable, no-spills, target man, Finnerty's distribution has been top-class and the old scoring touch survives to the extent that he scored a goal in all, but one of UCD's five matches in the cup.

The second goal was a penalty for a foul on Alan Nolan. It was calmly put away by Trevor Giles. Any litany of major contributions has to include the Meathman. One of the most noticeable aspects of his game is how strong he has become. Despite still looking quite weedy, his ability to ship shuddering physical challenges has made him an outstanding central player.

He is moved around whenever problems arise. One surprising aspect of his weekend is that he took hardly any place-kicks despite the difficulties UCD had in that area. In the semi-final, having been redeployed to midfield and then centre forward, it was Giles who popped up to square the match on the stroke of full-time.

Of course the fact that his move was hardly noticed by the defence is a tribute to the strength of the panel. Joe Coyle's performance when introduced to the half-back line on Saturday bore this out as it ensured that the defence wasn't weakened by Giles's move.

Having come through a semi-final, against UUJ, in which the football was at best undistinguished, Garda College were long-odds outsiders going in against UCD for their first Sigerson final.

Trailing 0-1 to 2-4 after 15 minutes, they must have been gulping a little at the direction the match was taking. It wasn't even as if they were maximising what came their way - as seven first-half wides indicate.

They were assisted by a definite sense that UCD were easing up on the pedal, but it still took fair determination to avoid being swamped. Fergal O'Donnell, their imposing full forward, was not having as productive a day as he had enjoyed against UUJ and elsewhere they looked short of impact up front.

This all changed in the second half) Having been kept in the match by a Brian O'Donovan goal - a weaving effort that must have mesmerised the UCD defence as there is no other explanation for the centre forward getting as far as he did - Garda found themselves facing the final 20 minutes eight points adrift, 1-4 to 2-8.

Kerry's James O'Shea was beginning to terrorise the UCD defence and supplemented some accurate free-taking by slipping in behind the cover to shoot to the net - despite a great effort by Keane to keep the ball out. Furthermore, UCD were using wind advantage to depart from their more effective-short game and looked less penetrative.

Four minutes later, James O'Donoghue finished a fluent move with an unremarkable shot that ended up in the goal. The sides were level and down to competing theories. Were UCD showing the strain of extra-time in their epic semifinal the day before? Would their experience of several tight finishes stand them in good stead? Had they just been careless and would now pull away again?

Unfortunately for Garda, theories two and three were nearest the mark. UCD ended the match strongly with points from Nestor, Ciaran McManus, whose energy and eye for a score had been a further element in his side's success, and Nolan. The excitement persisted, however, because Garda were as likely to get a goal as a point. and their tireless running, especially wing back Ollie O'Sullivan, and the menace of O'Shea combined to keep that possibility alive.

It does the beaten finalists no dishonour to say that the match of the weekend was the semi-final meeting between holders UCC, looking for a three-in-a-row, and UCD.

It was said on Saturday - with only a hint of hyperbole - that the football and excitement would have done credit to an All-Ireland final. Trailing by four points with little more than a minute to play, UCD conjured 1-1 - the goal from substitute John Hegarty - out of their last desperate attacks to push the matter to extra-time.

Up to then, the match had been marked by UCC's easy dominance of the first half which they ended 15 to 0-3 ahead - the goal from a cracking finish by Chris Collins. Collins was monopolising the domestic argument with his brother Fachtna, the UCD captain, but his influence waned in the second half.

Fachtna came into the match strongly and his capacity for those inspiring high catches was another feature of UCD's weekend. With the match in the balance thanks to McManus's sharply taken goal Fergal Keohane's 52nd-minute reply for UCC looked to have concluded the argument.

Suitably liberated by the end-of-hour escape, the eventual champions fired in 1-3 - the goal a gem from Finnerty - without reply in the opening minutes of the extra half-hour and although UCC rallied, they were unable to close the gap further than two points and lost their crown by 3-13 to 3-15.

It was a poor reward for Seamus Moynihan, the Kerry senior and UCC captain. Outstanding in defence, going deep to take high ball and roaming loose to tidy up breaking ball, he also moved the team forward with his intelligent running and considered distribution.

The weekend belonged, however, to UCD and the culmination of their patient rebuilding programme.

Finally, Paddy Russell refereed the first semi-final and the final. He was excellent in both. Having put up with plenty when things went wrong last September, he deserves the commendation. By a strange irony, the linesman who drew Russell's attention to Charlie Redmond in the All-Ireland final refereed the second semi-final. Willie O'Mahony appeared to all of us on the sideline to have sent off a UUJ player but, mysteriously, the miscreant stayed on the pitch. Karma.