THERE was no denying Terenure their celebration, as in the gloom, they kept their line intact as Harlequins desperately sought a try to rescue themselves from slumping to their second defeat in as many games. Referee Leo Colgan's final whistle ensured that no injustice could be done and gave 'Nure a thoroughly deserved verdict for their efforts and a very respectable looking two wins from three games.

So much of what the visitors produced was so refreshingly positive that Terenure can take a great deal from this trip north, even if the scoreline was rather closer than it probably should have been. With great displays up front from James Blaney, Dara O'Doherty and the excellent Alex Dunlop, Terenure showed tremendous enterprise and ability to offload allied to a defensive display, that bar a few fairly critical lapses, equips them well for what lies ahead.

They were streets ahead of their opponents when it came to organisation and willingness to attack the ball at pace and Blaney and co will be left wondering how it was that Quins were able to get back and make a game of it after trailing 12-0 thanks to 'Nure's opening 18 minutes. Still, when it mattered, 'Nure refused to panic and had the composure, late in the game, to retake the lead and refuse to yield.

A bonus point for Quins will do little to lift the gloom currently surrounding Andy Ward's squad who were shunted off their own ball on two occasions.

The home side had the breeze and drizzling rain at their backs in the first 40 minutes, but it did them little good as Terenure were out of the blocks early with some great sleight of hand when offloading and going forward at pace.

After six minutes, Blaney had the opening score when some tremendous driving from a line-out saw the hooker barrel over the line. With an opening penalty attempt from teenage out-half Niall O'Connor going wide of the mark, Quins found themselves losing their grip on the game when O'Connor's opposite number Shane Cullen got in at the posts after a great surge from Dunlop. Adam Hughes's conversion made it 12-0 to the visitors.

O'Connor did at least get a penalty over after 20 minutes but that was as good as it got for Quins in the first half.

As for the second, it started with O'Connor's second penalty and then saw centre Mike McKeever binned for talking back to the referee.

Yet, somehow, when reduced to 14 men, Quins managed to dig deep and Paul Marshall's chip and chase managed to then see Terenure full back Graham Crawford also binned for impeding the scrum-half.

From the penalty, Quins went for a line-out and skipper Chris McCarey barged over. O'Connor converted and, suddenly, 'Nure trailed 13-12. Substitute out-half Mark O'Neill landed a valuable penalty after 67 minutes and then, the crucial moment arrived, when O'Doherty ran back the restart and set in chain a series of attacks which ultimately led to Dunlop's try off the back of a scrum.

But Quins weren't finished and Paul McKenzie rounded his opposite number with aplomb to make the left corner for an unconverted score that tucked Quins into 'Nure's slipstream. The final word fell to O'Neill whose 81st minute penalty gave 'Nure just enough daylight.

BELFAST HARLEQUINS M Kettyle; G McLaughlin, M McKeever, D Cave, P McKenzie;

N O'Connor, P Marshall; N Conlon, S Philpot, B Lynch, G Rourke, M Graham, A Gillespie, R Devonshire, C McCarey (c) Subs G Dewhurst for M Graham, 40 mins; C Keown for B Lynch, 60 mins; J Lowe for G McLaughlin, 65 mins TERENURE G Crawford; B Flannagan, J Bollard, C Coleman, A Hughes; S Cullen, R Vij;

J Barretto, J Blaney, S Nolan, S O'Doherty, K O'Dwyer, B Moroney, C Connelly, A Dunlop (c) Subs M O'Neill for S Cullen, 63 mins; K Mahoney for J Blaney, 73 mins Referee L Colgan