For the students of UCD yesterday's Leinster club hurling final was a familiar lesson. You can cram all you like for exams but you run the risk of leaving it too late and not quite getting everything done by the time it's time to hand up your paper.

James Stephens added provincial honours to their Kilkenny title courtesy of a last-minute point that earned them deliverance from what threatened to be a huge reversal of fortune.

Having wiped out a 10-point deficit, the Dublin champions looked to be zeroing in on a first provincial crown but it was David McCormack who closed the deal for the Kilkenny club.

Manager Adrian Finan paid tribute to his side, who were winning a first Leinster title since 1981, for holding out during a torrid second half.

"It's easy to say 'keep going' on the line but the lads were on their last legs. They'd put an enormous effort into the first half and the last couple of weeks and couple of months caught up with them a bit. Fair play to UCD. They just ran the legs off us in the second half.

"But all credit to our lads. When we needed to get a score we got it at the very end. That took an awful lot of courage."

Provincial chairperson Nicky Brennan praised the students by saying that it didn't matter whether they should or shouldn't be in the championship, given the excellent tussle they had helped provide.

UCD selector Dave Billings is a busy man having only last week been reappointed as a Dublin football selector and afterwards he kicked to touch on the vexed question of whether the rising complaints about university teams would persuade the club not to enter the county championship next year.

"It's too early to say at the moment. Now I'm just interested in looking after the players. They did us proud."

A rip-roaring second half saw controversy as well with UCD unhappy at what they perceived as some bad decisions by match officials. But they also hit 12 wides compared to the new champions' total of just one.

James Stephens will play Antrim's O'Donovan Rossa in the All-Ireland semi-final next February.

Meanwhile, a familiar name will again be inscribed on the Ulster football trophy after Crossmaglen Rangers won a fourth provincial title in nine years. The final against Down champions Mayobridge was a bad-tempered affair, which saw the winners' fullback Gareth O'Neill red carded at the end of the first half.

Mayobridge couldn't take advantage and suffered from the early loss of veteran player manager Mickey Linden who had to leave the field early after a clash with Francie Bellew. In the end however Crossmaglen won with a bit to spare, 0-14 to 0-9.

Dublin's Ballyboden St Enda's recovered to defeat Donoughmore of Cork, 2-7 to 1-9, in the final of the All-Ireland women's club championship at Birr.