Poor old Dr Ed Walsh. There he is, a few months from retirement, mere weeks away from a placid old age to be spent pottering around the garden, worrying about his regularity and forgetting where he put his slippers (well, perhaps it's a different Ed Walsh I'm thinking of) - and UL can't even manage to win Challenging Times as his going-away present.

After being beaten controversially in last year's final by DCU, it seemed the forces of natural justice would come out in force in favour of UL. Instead, a strong UCD team beat UL conclusively, 220 to 125, to proceed to the quarter-final stage of the RTE/ Irish Times quiz competition.

UCD's team was Stephen Dodd, Seamus Sweeney and Dara Connolly. UL was represented by Raymond Lannon, Seamus Ryan, Gerard Downes and sub Eoin Langford.

Next week, UG, winner on two previous occasions under the moniker of UCG, faces St Patrick's College of Education. Challenging Times can be seen on Network 2 at 8 p.m. each Monday. The question-master is, as ever, the fruit of Bamber Gascoigne's televisual loins, Kevin Myers.