Saturday afternoon saw UL Bohemians lose for the first time in the AIB League since last January as Lansdowne beat Division One's form team 15-14 at headquarters.

Bohs' ten-match winning streak came to an end in the Lansdowne Road sunshine as Liam Toland's fired-up hosts registered two early blows.

Lansdowne, who lost all three of their home games against Munster opposition last season, showed renewed strength as they went 15-0 ahead inside 20 minutes.

Flanker Jim O'Donovan, who has always fancied himself as a bit of a marauding centre at 6ft 3in and 15st 7lbs, showed a great pace to end a 40-metre attack with Lansdowne's opening try after only three minutes.

A penalty followed from the boot of full-back Robbie Dolan and the same player dotted down on 20 minutes, after a lineout steal, for a converted second try for Lansdowne.

Bohs scored their 14th try of the league campaign in reply and in a timely fashion as just four minutes before the interval, Ireland Sevens international Martin McPhail cut through for an excellent score. Ben Martin converted what was McPhail's sixth try in four games.

Lansdowne lost prop Paul Doran Jones to a yellow card - for punching - on the half-hour mark, and then their scrum half Shane Whelan was binned eight minutes into the second half for a ruck offence.

Bohs should have taken over then, but Lansdowne's swarming defence was all over them and the vaunted visitors could only muster a 67th-minute try from centre Tom Luke, who displayed a neat mix of power and pace to cross.

Martin again converted - that seven-pointer secured a losing bonus point which keeps Bohs at the top of the table ahead of the break for the internationals - but Lansdowne were not be be denied a famous win.

At Thomond Park, Garryowen won the battle of the Limerick heavyweights to move up to second in the standings, beating their great rivals Shannon 19-11.

Whilst Shannon alickadoos would admit that they were 'soft tries', Ireland club international Ciaran O'Boyle's hat-trick was enough to keep up Garryowen's fantastic away record in the league.

Having come into Saturday's game with 12 wins in their last 13 league fixtures on the road, the light Blues did just enough to gain revenge for last spring's semi-final defeat.

Winger O'Boyle touched down after 5, 8 and 34 minutes - twice winning the race to kicks ahead - to hand Garryowen a 19-8 interval lead. His eighth-minute effort saw him intercept former Shannon captain David Quinlan in midfield and gallop over.

League veteran Andrew Thompson scored a penalty and an opportunist try - hacking ahead and scoring after both Quinlan and Tony Buckley had drives repelled - for Shannon in the first half, and he added a 71st-minute penalty.

Garryowen kicker Conor Kilroy missed two penalty shots at the posts in the second half but thanks to O'Boyle's superb finishing, Paul Cunningham's men had done enough in the first half.

...UCC full-back Denis Hurley is tackled by Harlequins centre Darren Cave during the sides' encounter at Temple Hill...

Ulster and Ireland A' prop Tom Court scored his first try for Ballymena as the Braidmen ended their long wait for a league win.

Court muscled over in the 12th-minute at Eaton Park to set up a first victory in four Division One outings for Jacques Benade's men. They held off a second half charge from Galwegians for a 25-14 success.

Ireland Under-21 international Fionn Carr ran the show for Blackrock College as he scored 16 points in their electric 31-19 win over Terenure. Rock moved up to sixth place thanks to Carr's man-of-the-match performance at Stradbrook.

Despite leaking an early try to Nure scrum half Derek Hegarty, the hosts led 17-7 at the break with both Carr and winger David Rowan touching down.

A brilliant break by Carr set up winger Andy O'Neill for a third quarter try and Leinster's Des Dillon, who acquitted himself well in the second row, grabbed Rock's bonus point score. Nure completed the scoring with a Graham Crawford try and a penalty try.

Jonathan Sexton, the top flight's top scorer, showed his steely nerve once again as he kicked St. Mary's to a 12-12 draw against Buccaneers.

At Dubarry Park, Buccaneers failed to convert their chances as Ireland Under-21 out-half Sexton kicked four penalties from four attempts. Buccs full-back Tommy Cregan landed four penalties of his own for a 12-3 half-time advantage. Crucially Sexton slotted over two penalties either side of the break to open Mary's account and his fourth arrived right on 80 minutes.

Frustratingly for Buccs coach Geoff Moylan, the pitch markings from a soccer match, played recently at Dubarry Park, fooled Buccs winger Mark Bruce when he thought he had scored a try in the first half and a morale-boosting win went astray.

Clontarf half-backs Fiach O'Loughlin and Peter O'Brien (2) shared out three of the north Dubliners' four tries in their 27-6 dismissal of UCD at Castle Avenue.

Flanker Ed Leamy, the younger brother of Munster and Ireland's Denis Leamy and certainly a chip off the old block, grabbed Cork Constitution's third and final try in their 25-3 defeat of Belfast Harlequins at Temple Hill. Con have moved up one place to fourth in an all-Munster top four.

At Stevenson Park, Oisin Hennessy, Declan Fitzpatrick, Ryan Caldwell and Richard McCarter shared out the tries in Dungannon's 30-12 victory over Dolphin.

DIVISION ONE RESULTS:

Ballymena 25 Galwegians 14, Eaton Park
Blackrock College 31 Terenure College 19, Stradbrook
Buccaneers 12 St. Mary's College 12, Dubarry Park
Clontarf 27 UCD 6, Castle Avenue
Cork Constitution 25 Belfast Harlequins 3, Temple Hill
Dungannon 30 Dolphin 12, Stevenson Park
Lansdowne 15 UL Bohemians 14, Lansdowne Road
Shannon 11 Garryowen 19, Thomond Park