A BRACE of tries from fullback Richard Lane provided the cutting edge for Cork Con to reach the inaugural AIB Cup final. This was the third time Buccaneers had reached the semi-finals of a national competition . . . and the third time they have fallen to Cork Con at this juncture.

Lane got the second of his tries in first-half stoppage time to give Cork Con a 17-0 lead having played with the strong wind. The full-back ran a perfect line to touch down in the corner after number eight Frank Cogan had made the hard yards.

It was in that spot that he also scored Con's opening try after 10 minutes. Again, skipper Cogan was heavily involved in its creation, blocking down Buccs' scrum-half Mark Bruce before Lane set off from inside his own halfway, exchanged passes with his own scrum-half Frank Murphy, before dashing clear.

Out-half Darragh Lyons landed both conversions from the left touchline and he also added a penalty after 24 minutes from 30 metres when a Buccaneers scrum infringement was further penalised for dissent.

Hard-working lock Christian Short set up a few phases, with their biggest threat coming out wide from his Connacht colleagues Ted Robinson and Conor O'Loughlin, but a missed penalty from full-back Tom Cregan was as near as they came to reducing the deficit in the opening half. However, they hit back after the restart and with the wind behind them Cregan landed a penalty and then a drop goal as they piled on the pressure.

A superb break from deep inside his own half by centre Paddy O'Sullivan ended with Con centre Conor Quaid being binned and a try for Buccaneers when they opted for touch from a penalty.

Number eight David Quinlan got the touch down from the resultant drive. Cregan added the points to reduce the deficit but Con responded with a penalty from Lyons after 60 minutes.

BUCCANEERS T Cregan; T Robinson, W Wallace, P O'Sullivan, C O'Loughlin; G O'Grady, M Bruce; M Dif"ey, G Halligan, B Campbell, B Buckley, C Short, T Richardson, C Hartigan, D Quinlan Subs K O'Gorman for Halligan, 47 mins; B Gilligan for Dif"ey, 65 mins; A Hanley for Richardson, 69 mins; D Gannon for Buckley, 69 mins; D Kelly for Hartigan, 78 mins; S Brady for Bruce, 81 mins CORK CONSTITUTION R Lane; D O'Riordan, C Quaid, C O'Sullivan, C Healy; D Lyons, F Murphy; M Ross, D Murray, J Danagher; S Cottrill, J Moloney; M O'Connell, B Cutriss, F Cogan Subs L Hill for Danagher, 52 mins; B O'Connor for Moloney, 56 mins; T Ryan for Ross, 82 mins Referee S McDowell (Ulster)