WATERFORD RTC celebrated the announcement of beating Carlow progress to the next Challenging Times, the Times/RTE quiz for third level colleges.

By the end of the heat, a gap closing Carlow had closed to within five points of Waterford, but the timekeeper's watch defeated their best efforts. Carlow were represented by Martin Keating, Robert Power and DJ Moore, while Waterford went through thanks to the efforts of Cahill, Damien Wilkinson Raymond Kelly.

Tonight sees two of the most successful colleges in the competition meet in the first round for the first time ever. UCG, overall winners in 1995 and 1996, face UCC, winners in 1993 and 1994. The teams have only met once before in Challenging Times, when UCG defeated UCC 245-125 in 1995.

Next week, incidentally, the lost souls of countless humiliated TCD teams will gather to see Trinners again take to the high seas of Challenging Times in what has been, in the past, a distinctly leaky boat. TCD face Tallaght RTC in the first round.

Challenging Times can seen on RTE 1 each Tuesdays evening at 8.30 p.m. and is repeated on Fridays on RTE 1 at 11 am.