CLONTARF'S season goes from strength to strength, this win and bonus point putting them top of the table.

Already averaging over 25 points a game before yesterday's trouncing of Belfast Harlequins, they overcame atrocious conditions to run up another bountiful total, cantering in for six tries in the process. In this sort of form, they'll take a fair amount of stopping On a day you wouldn't have put a cat out in, they were dogged. On a pitch so muddied you'd fear for losing the scrum-halves in it, they found a way through any time they needed to. They were seven points up within three minutes of kick-off.

Jacob Ellison, their mobile open-side flanker broke through the Quins defence without a glove laid on him for the longest time. When the tackle did come in, he was able to present it so that Clontarf kept possession, setting Marc Hewitt up for the opener.

In truth, Quins held their own for the opening period.

Their handling was spotless and their running was dynamic enough to test the Clontarf defence. A prolonged bout of pressure brought its reward with Clontarf going offside once too often and Johnny McClaughlin kicking the penalty.

The try that put the first real piece of open country between the sides came on 30 minutes and it was Hewitt who again obliged. After an attritional period of play in and around the centre, Hewitt looked up and spotted Quins momentarily without a full-back. His chip was sublime, his run determined. The ball bounced his way and he touched down for the try.

And with a minute to go until half-time, Clontarf ran in the try that pretty much decided matters. O'Shea, playing at full-back for Clontarf, took a fine catch on the run. His return was left for Mark Kettyle but he slipped and when he went back to collect the ball, made the mistake of running instead of kicking for touch.

He ran into trouble and when he coughed up possession, Hewitt was on hand to collect. Two very clever kicks around the Quins defence left him right through with a great chance but his out-half Mark Woods scampered over to beat him to the touchdown.

Quins rallied briefly in the second half and even managed a try from centre Nopera Steward. But McClaughlin's missed conversion - it was right in front of the posts - seemed to knock the stuffing out of his side.

Clontarf opened up from there on, securing the bonus point through another Woods try and driving home their intentions with late efforts from Alan Trenier and the outstanding Rob Sweeney.

CLONTARF D O'Shea; N O'Brien, M Hewitt, B O'Donnell, J Downey; M Woods, F O'Loughlin (c); K Dorian, N Carson, R Sweeney, A Trenier, B Gissing, J Ellison, D O'Brien, P Purdue Subs B Jackman for Carson, 47 mins; J Wickham for Dorian, 48 mins; D Quinn for Purdue, 63 mins Sin bin Trenier, 39 mins BELFAST HARLEQUINS M Kettyle; J Lowe, N Steward, M McKeever, P McKenzie; J McClaughlin, R Kirkwood; C Keown, S Philpott, B Lynch, L Stevenson, R Frost (c), R De'onshire, C Atkinson, C McCarey Subs K Piper for McKeever, 46 mins; D Cave for Kirkwood, 62 mins; R Moore for Lynch, 66 mins Referee G Clancy (Munster)