SHANNON, who won the All-Ireland League Division One title for a record third successive time this season, have won the IRFU/ICL Club of the Year award. This completes a notable double for Shannon, who a few weeks ago also won The Rugby Writers of Ireland/Guinness award.

The IRFU awards for clubs and schools are decided by a panel under the chairmanship of IRFU committee man Don Crowley. The winners of the various categories were presented with their awards by IRFU president Bobby Deacy at a lunch in Dublin on Saturday.

Carlow won the award for non-AIL clubs. They had an outstanding season, winning the Leinster League, Provincial Towns Cup and also qualified for the All-Ireland League through the play-offs for the provincial league winners.

The provincial awards went to Galwegians, who won the Connacht Senior Cup, Senior League and promotion to the second division of the AIL; Omagh, who won the provincial League in Ulster and also qualified for the AIL through the plays-offs; Midleton, who won the Munster Junior Cup, and League, and Suttonians, who, in their first season in the AIL, won the fourth division title with a 100 per cent record.

The Special Merit award went to UCC in recognition of their achievement in maintaining their place in division two of the AIL, the only university side in the division.

St Colomb's College in Derry, where such admirable work has been done in recent times to promote rugby in the college, won the award for developing schools. Wilson's Hospital School in Mullingar won the award for established rugby-playing schools.