Limerick County golf club are obviously inspired by warm weather golf and the allure of the Algarve in October. Disney World for adults. Sunshine and golf with the bits in between spent at the cafe bar at the pool. For the second successive year the three-man team from Limerick carried off the Musgrave Crumlin Children's Hospital Club Challenge trophy after battling it out over four different courses last week in hammering Portuguese sunshine.

In that regard the Antrim club of Grace Hill may still be smarting, having been runners-up to Limerick County last year. Grace Hill entered the final day's play with a seemingly unassailable 10-point lead but ultimately scored poorly in the rumble over the tight-margined Pinta course to let the trophy slip from their grasp by just one agonising point.

Over the four rounds, which included a team event with one score to count on day one, singles with two scores to count from three cards on the second day, all three cards to count on the third and a rumble (1st six, 2nd six, 3rd six) on the fourth, Limerick finished on 279 points to Grace Hill's 278. County Meath were just a point behind the two leaders with Roscommon Golf Club on 273 points.

Clearly competitive on the course the competition was devised by Crumlin Children's Hospital, enthusiastically sponsored by Musgraves and editorially supported by The Irish Times. This year around 70 teams from all over Ireland entered raising approximately £65,000 for the research centre in the hospital.

Those clubs which entered played off within their own provinces to emerge as provincial champions. The four winning teams along with their club captains, were then installed in the superbly appointed Almansor Hotel over looking the cliffs and ocean just outside the town of Corvoiera.

By the early stages of the competition the Ulster boys were placed in as favourites. That onerous position was thrust upon them as soon as their fresh faces and athleticism beamed out from the crowd at Dublin airport.

It wasn't an ill informed guess as the club, only five years old, soon established a tentative lead with Roscommon after the first 18 holes at Palmares Golf Club.

It took the sinuous fairways and watery hazards at Salgados to firmly establish the Antrim team's intentions. Despite the entire party of 23 (including sponsors and organisers) leaving 69 balls behind in the assortment of lakes and canals Chris O'Hara (13), Neil Douglas (8) and Ian Morrison (7) shot to a seven-point lead with Roscommon still chasing.

Unperturbed Limerick, with Shane Foley (13), former Thomond front row Declan Costello (20) and John Cronin (19), were just warming to the challenge, and lay in third place nine points behind.

The third round at Villamoura Old Course was the highlight of the week. The mature wooden clubhouse and wonderfully manicured course cranked up the feeling of occasion. But once again the low handicap players made ground. Limerick, adapting rather well to the high-octane social schedule, continued to inch forward as both Roscommon and Meath County dropped a little further behind.

The Villamoura course specialised in blocking out approach shots. A reasonable drive was invariably not quite good enough, more often than not a beautifully sculpted mature pine was nicely placed to smother anything less than a low running pitch. Still Ulster kept their nerve and by day three and one round to play Grace Hill led with 216 points, Limerick County second with 206 points, Roscommon 205 points and Meath County with 196 points.

So how would Limerick find 11 points over one round at Pinta or how could Grace Hill drop 11 points? The trophy all but had the Antrim team's name engraved on it as the sides set out. But for Ulster it simply didn't happen. On the index one par five Limerick accumulated a massive 10 points which handsomely added to their healthy total of 73 points for the day. Meath County had the highest of the round with 81 points and Roscommon 68 points. Grace Hill vainly searched but found nothing and managed only 62 points giving them a four-day total of 278, just one point behind Limerick's 279.

So Limerick have now emerged twice winners in the event (although with different teams) which has now been running for three years. It is hoped by Pat Cashman, the hospital's principal organiser, that the numbers will increase next year as clubs become more aware of what the competition is about. It is open to both men and women.

Pat Davern the Limerick County captain, incidentally, won the less formal captain's prize with 107 points overall off a 17 handicap, giving Limerick that prize also. Not a bad week's haul or indeed a way to face into an Irish winter.

How they finished

1. Limerick County 279 pts (44, 67, 95, 73).

2. Grace Hill 278 (26, 72, 98, 62).

3. County Meath 277 (43, 65, 88, 81).

4. Roscommon 273 (46, 67, 92, 68).