You'll never beat the Irish (well, tonight anyway)

[Ronald Binge]

What an amazing first match for Ireland in the Cricket World Cup in Jamaica.

Ireland: 221 for 9
Zimbabwe (an international Test side) 221 all out

Ties just don't happen that often in One Day International Cricket. The logistics of it are sufficently mad for it to have happened only (I think) twice before. Ireland come away with a point, even though the 2,000 Irish fans out there have rightly treated it as a win.

The atmosphere came across on the radio - there was virtually a good humoured riot going on - and yet again, you can't beat the Irish!

[Derek Wheeler]

If there was an award for the first time cricket was discussed on this forum, you'd get it. So just for you, the first ever "cricket report" on the P11 forum.

"The rugby lads will go mad over this."

Cricket goes mad in Jamaica

I NEVER thought I would find myself glued to a TV screen on a Thursday night, transfixed by a cricket match between Ireland and Zimbabwe. The world has truly gone mad.

The ICC World Cup well and truly got going today - at least on the pitch. While Sir Lanka handed out the second-biggest thrashing in World Cup history to Bermuda in Port of Spain, Ireland and Zimbabwe fought out mad finish to a marathon match in Kingston. The only problem was, they did so in front of a near-empty stadium. Maybe the World Cup hasn't caught the imagination just yet.

For those of you who don't follow cricket, or who didn't realise that Ireland played it, there are 16 teams in the West Indies competing for the honour of being crowned the best one-day team in the world. However, there are only nine teams in the world that play Test cricket. It's a bit like organising a party and then suddenly realising you don't have enough guests.

So we have such cricketing nations as Bermuda, Holland, Ireland, Scotland and Canada making up the numbers. And the result is a host of bizarre characters, one-sided matches and - in some of the group stage matches - a standard of cricket that wouldn't get you into a club side.



You'll have seen Dwayne Leverock (pictured above), the 20-stone beef korma loving Bermuda bowler who recently made the back pages after taking a couple of wickets against England in a pre-World Cup warm-up match.

Leverock only took one wicket for Bermuda today as they were well and truly walloped by Sri Lanka, who look a good bet to win the tournament should Australia slip up.

The real drama, though, came at a near-empty Sabina Park as Ireland and Zimbabwe came together. It was the first match of the tournament in which one of the Test nations looked as if they might be beaten by one of the minnows.

Ireland's innings were defined by an unbeaten century from Jeremy Bray, made at such a slow pace that even Geoffrey Boycott might have been telling him to get a move on.

But Zimbabwe didn't help themselves with fielding that veered between eccentric and downright laughable. The highlight came when Irish batsman Dave Langford-Smith hoisted a ball high to square leg, where Zimbabwe fielder Elton Chigga staggered around underneath it like a drunken man, before not only dropping it, but then fumbling over the boundary for four runs.

So slow was Ireland's 50-over innings, that I did wonder at one stage if the match would ever end. Then Zimbabwe's batsmen came flying out of the traps and, after some more nervy batting and comedy fielding, looked set for victory.

They only needed 15 runs from the last six overs - easy, surely. But Zimbabwe then managed a batting collapse that England would have been proud of. When Ireland put the rotund Kevin O'Brien in to bowl with two overs to go, Zimbabwe looked certs to win. Six balls and two wickets later, they needed nine runs from the last over to win, with just one wicket left. Had the cricket world gone mad?

The drama continued to the last ball, as Stuart Matsikenyeri needed just one run to win. He missed the ball, wicketkeeper Niall O'Brien hurled it to the other end and non-striking batsman Ed Rainsford was run out. The match ended as a tie - only the third in World Cup history, as both teams ended with 221 runs. The Ireland fans (complete with false leprechaun beards and green shirts) went mad, and so did the players (who didn't wear false beards).

A match that was a giddy mess of dropped catches, hopeless bowling and dodgy batting had somehow turned out to be the best game of the World Cup so far. How did that happen?

England's World Cup campaign starts against New Zealand tomorrow. It won't be as good as Ireland v Zimbabwe. And I never thought I'd find myself writing that.

[Thomas J Stamp]

Watched it on the telly. Zim were coasting till they lost the sixth wicket, then panic stations. Last over was a hoot altogether, nearly caught their good batsman twice, nearly ran them out once, five god-awfull deliveries from a mediam paced bolwr, lucky stumping on the last ball to tie the game.

And we dropped about five easy catches as well, should have won it. Great ton form Bray as well.

Roll on Saturday.

Lets hope Joyce plays a blinder tomorrow and England lose!!

[packetswitch]

Listened to most of it on dodgy Radio 4 longwave (no satellite TV in TCD, even though our graduates provided a chunk of the team...they're the ones that we didn't steal from the ranks of Aussie backpackers!).

Great game. Nailbiting stuff, as only sports-on-the-radio can be.

[Colm Donoghue]

It's a draw though not a tie, tie's happen in test cricket when time runs out. draws only happen when it's the same score.

I think the ref blew it up at 214 all, musta been from Meath or some Gaa stronghold.
Luckily he wasn't a rugby ref, if the ball had a gone into touch, the result woulda been a bit different.

Saw the online report on the Guardian website, good aul craic.

[packetswitch]

Plus, we can claim a moral victory in that we took ten wickets, while they took nine...

[2Funki4Wheelz]

Morto for all the supporters dressed in cheap Carroll's leprechaun outfits though. Although it was better than the people in the rugby jerseys!

[Thomas J Stamp]

Originally Posted by colmd

It's a draw though not a tie, tie's happen in test cricket when time runs out. draws only happen when it's the same score.

You may want to tell the lads on Sky that so as it was Match Tied on the screens.

[Colm Donoghue]

maybe odi's are different to tests. The guardian covered all bases, match tied, and "its a draw"

I could look it up but then we'd know and waffling about stuff we havn't a clue about is more productive... especially on a Friday.

[Redsoxfan]

Originally Posted by colmd

maybe odi's are different to tests.

According to a cricket afficianado here at work, that is the case.

[Colm Donoghue]

I appear to have gotten my draws and ties mixed up alright.

anyway Ed Joyce is out for duck.

[Derek Wheeler]

BREAKING NEWS (Nothing to do with railways)

Ireland have just beaten Pakistan in the Cricket world cup, in what is perhaps up there with the biggest upsets in the sport. Pakistan just couldn't register enough runs and finally went down to Ireland by 3 wickets. In scenes reminiscent of previous Irish sporting triumphs, albeit on a much smaller scale, the Irish team paraded around the pitch to chants of ole ole etc etc. Many a paddys day hat could be seen amongst the crowd and many may be asking themselves is Birrell the Jack Charlton of Irish cricket.

Meanwhile back in Ireland, a certain household confirmed to the newsroom at P11, that they were in tears. "Im over the moon, in tears", screamed Thomas J Stamp of Templemore. "Mrs Thomas J. is dancing around the place. Ireland...unbeaten in the cricket world cup. Magic"

[Ronald Binge]

Who'da thunk it?

Ireland in the last eight cricketing nations!!

Test Nation status is surely imminent

[Derek Wheeler]

Originally Posted by Ronald Binge

Who'da thunk it?

Ireland in the last eight cricketing nations!!

Test Nation status is surely imminent

We'll need a stadium. Bertie BOWL could work now.

[packetswitch]

Tragically, not even Radio 4 covered the match, but I enjoyed myself immensly following the game on not one but two text-commentary sites: an now you can relive it all via the Guardian or Cricinfo.com

(if you haven't experienced the joy of over-by-over or ball-by-ball on the Internet before, it may seem a little odd, but it's very addictive, and the Guardian sold quite a few copies of a book that was nothing but a selection of over-by-over games during the Ashes!)

What an odd day. We just stole Pakistan's spot in the Super 8. We now get to spend another three weeks in the Caribbean playing the best teams in the world. (Only in cricket would the second round take twice as long as the first round).

[Derek Wheeler]

Lets go all out, as its Paddys day. These guys are like the international soccer teams of old. P11 proudly presents a mini biog of our Cricketing legends.

Ireland World Cup Squad Player Biographies

Trent Johnston - Captain (Clontarf) RHB, RAF.

32 year old all rounder, who has played 41 times for Ireland, captaining the side on 22 occasions. He has scored 860 runs at an average of 26.06, and taken 68 wickets at 23.42. He has scored 5 half centuries with a highest score of 83 against Denmark. His best bowling was 6-23 versus Namibia.

Andre Botha - (North County) LHB, RAM.

31 year old all rounder who has won 61 caps for Ireland. He has scored 1872 runs at an average of 31.20, and taken 93 wickets at 22.92. He has scored 11 half centuries and 2 hundreds for Ireland. His highest score was achieved this year with his 159 against UAE. His best figures are 4-23 versus the ECB.

Jeremy Bray - (Eglinton) LHB.

33 year old opening batsman and reserve wicket keeper. He has played 58 times for Ireland, scoring 2100 runs at 33.87. He has scored eleven 50's and 5 hundreds, with a highest score of 190, the 3rd highest individual score for Ireland. Only Ivan Anderson with 7, has scored more hundreds for Ireland.

Kenneth Carroll - (Railway Union) RHB, LAWS.

23 year old who has won 5 caps to date. He has scored 122 runs at 24.40. He has a highest score of 90 made last year against the MCC at Lord's. He captained the Ireland Under 23 team to their European Championship win in 2006.

Peter Gillespie - (Strabane) RHB, RAM

32 year old who has played 116 times. He has scored 2599 runs at an average of 27.65. He has made 18 half centuries and 1 century. That was an unbeaten 102 against the MCC in 2005, the fastest ever recorded by an Irishman, taking just 47 balls. He started his career as an opening bowler, taking 18 wickets at 37.32, but injury means he rarely, if ever, bowls nowadays.

Dave Langford-Smith - (Phoenix) RAF. RHB

30 year old opening bowler who made his debut for Ireland in 2006. Has played 19 times, taking 32 wickets at 23.31. His best bowling performance is 5-65 versus Scotland. A more than useful late order hitter, he has to date scored 137 runs at an average of just over 14.

Kyle Mc Callan - (Waringstown) RHB, RAOS

31 year old who is Ireland's most capped player, having won an incredible 151 caps to date. The all rounder has scored 2883 runs at 24.02. He has scored ten 50's and two hundreds, having a highest score of exactly a 100, made against the MCC in only his second game, and also against Wales. In addition he has taken 166 wickets at 31.45, with a best analysis of 5-23 versus Italy in 2000.

John Mooney - (North County) - RAM, LHB

25 year old all rounder who has played 34 times for Ireland. A useful change bowler, he has taken 29 wickets at an average of 30.69. An effective late order batsman, he has also scored 254 runs at a useful average of 18.14. His top score of 34 was made against Sussex in the C&G Trophy in 2006.

Paul Mooney - (North County) RAM, RHB

30 year old opening bowler from North County who has won 83 caps. He has taken 103 wickets at 26.26. His best bowling figures came against Scotland in 1999, when he took 4-12. A more than capable batsman, he has made 766 runs at 17.41, with a highest score of 66*.

Eoin Morgan - (Middlesex) LHB, RAM.

20 year old who is without doubt the rising star of Irish cricket. Has already won 34 caps to date, and in the process has scored 1346 runs at 44.87. He recently achieved the highest individual score for Ireland, making 209 not out versus the UAE. He has made 3 hundreds in total, and also scored 7 half centuries.

Niall O' Brien - (Northants) - LHB, WK.

25 year old wicket-keeper batsman, who has won 30 caps to date. He has just joined English county side Northants, having been previously on the books of Kent. He has scored 937 runs at 40.74. He has scored three 50's and the same number of hundreds, with a highest score of 176 made against the UAE. He jointly holds the Irish record for most catches in an innings, (six) with Paul Jackson.

Kevin O' Brien - (Railway Union) - RHB, RAM.

22 year old all rounder who is destined to be a star for many years to come. He has won 13 caps to date, scoring 439 runs at 33.77. He achieved his highest score of 142 against Kenya in the recent WCL. He has also taken 11 wickets at 34.64.

William Porterfield - (Rush) - LHB

22 year old who has won 15 caps. A left hand opening batsman who really came of age during the recent WCL, when he scored 332 runs in 5 games, averaging 110.67. In total he has made 703 runs at 54.08, scoring 3 centuries in the process. He is also a superb fielder, one of the best in Associates cricket.

Boyd Rankin - (Derbyshire) - RAF, LHB.

22 year old, 6' 8''tall opening bowler, who is about to start his second season with Derbyshire, under the watchful eye of his mentor, Mike Hendrick. He has played 5 times for Ireland to date, and taken 9 wickets at 19.22. His best bowling figures of 4-56 came this month in the InterContinental cup win over UAE.

Andrew White - (Unattached) - RHB, RAOS.

The 26 year old all rounder has won 76 caps to date, and been a regular feature in the team since his debut in 2000. He has scored 1524 runs at 28.22, making four 50's and 2 hundreds. His highest score of 152* came against the Netherlands. A very useful off spinner, he has also taken 66 wickets at 28.88, with his best bowling figures of 4-28 being against the MCC in 2003.

[Dave]

Amazing result, its the equivalent of a league of Ireland side beating the likes of Barcelona in the champions league. Unbelievable.

[bigjim]

Originally Posted by Derek Wheeler

We'll need a stadium. Bertie BOWL could work now.

Would a cricket pitch fit in Croker?