Cricket News:There was a strong sense of men against boys at the Bayuemas Oval yesterday as a steamrollering performance from England took them to victory by 10 wickets over Ireland in time to put their feet up and enjoy lunch.
The organisers of the Under-19 World Cup have, of course, checked the ages of all participants but what birth certificates don't show are how the relative cricketing experience of each team adds up, and England's array of county professionals were just far too knowing for their opponents.
Only three Ireland batsman got into double figures - one of those was dropped before doing so - and when England chased down a modest 110 to win there was no more than the occasional hope of an Irish wicket.
Ireland coach Brían O'Rourke said: "There was very little for us to take out of the game. England were just three or four gears higher than us in everything they did and that was very disappointing."
A sweltering day did not begin well with news that opening batsman James Hall had failed a test on the calf injury incurred last Monday against Papua New Guinea. Greg Thompson then lost an important toss and, put in to bat, Ireland saw star batsmen Paul Stirling fall in the third over to a smart low catch at second slip.
Ben Ackland struck successive balls of the next over either side of backward point for boundaries but that was as good as it got for a vocal band of travelling Ireland supporters and around 100 locals also backing the underdogs.
O'Rourke would have been stressing last night that a 50-overs match offers more time than it might seem and Ireland's top order could have been more circumspect to see off lively opening spells from Steve Finn and James Harris on a newly-laid pitch.
Harris, who took seven wickets in an innings for Glamorgan last season in the county championship, had Ackland caught at second slip for 11 and James Shannon soon followed, nibbling outside off stump in Chris Woakes' first over. When Andrew Balbirnie was leg-before to the same bowler for three, all hopes of a decent score rested with opener Chris Dougherty who looks a little like Eoin Morgan in both his stature and composure at the crease, and his ability to leave the ball.
Dougherty received good support from Graeme McDonnell in a partnership of 23 for the fifth wicket, but when McDonnell aimed an ambitious shot over midwicket and got a leading edge to third man, Finn held a good catch.
Finn pouched an even better one way over his head at fine leg from Dougherty but was forced to step over the line in doing so and concede the only six of the Ireland innings. Thompson was caught at deep midwicket attempting a second maximum and returned to the pavilion to hear the PA gleefully announce his "duck".
Dougherty went in the same over, caught behind off spinner Tom Westley for a solid 34 that contained three fours, and sensing an early finish England brought back Finn to rattle the stumps of Gavin McKenna and Richard Keaveney with successive deliveries. His hat-trick ball was interrupted and aborted by the announcer telling the crowd Ireland were 108 for nine as he ran in.
The buffoon could only delay the inevitable, though, and the England openers hurried past their target in 15.5 overs.
At Bayuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur (England won toss): Ireland 109 (31.2 overs) (C Dougherty 34; S Finn 3 for 21, C Harris 3 for 40); England 110-0 (15.5 overs) (J Taylor 52no, B Godleman 38no). England won by 10 wickets.
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Feb 20th: Ireland v Bangladesh, Feb 21st: Ireland v Bermuda; Feb 24th-Mar 2nd: Super Series; Feb 24th-Mar 1st: Plate competition.
