CRICKET:After a week of media engagements and being feted by politicians, Ireland's cricketers came back to earth with a bit of a bump yesterday. Ireland were denied a winning start to their Friends Provident Trophy season by a blistering hundred from Joe Denly, the 21-year-old Kent batsman, who plundered a quickfire total of 102 in 97 balls.
It was a match-winning innings containing five sixes and seven fours, with 34 runs coming off the penultimate over of the Kent innings, bowled by off spinner Andrew White.
Yesterday's game came at the end of a tumultuous week for the team, who returned from the Caribbean on Tuesday. The preparation for the game was overshadowed by the media attention they have received since being home. On Wednesday they entertained the Taoiseach at the Shelbourne Hotel, before making an appearance on Friday's Late, Late Show.
Winning the toss and electing to field, captain Trent Johnston opened the bowling with Dave Langford-Smith, in the absence of Boyd Rankin, who was committed to Derbyshire. For the first hour it seemed that Rankin was not to be missed. Ireland reduced Kent to 100 for 5, with John Mooney taking two important wickets coming on first change, with one apiece falling to the two opening bowlers.
The big wicket of the former England batsman Robert Key came when he was run out for 16, by the quicksilver William Porterfield. At 132 for 7, Kent were struggling to post a competitive score.
However, as has been the case a number of times in the past six weeks, Ireland's last 10 overs were very costly. It is an area that new coach Phil Simmons will want to work on before the team play Somerset in Taunton next Sunday. It is a weakness that may be high on his priorities as he searches to fill at least one of the two overseas berths available to him.
Ireland's innings was blighted by the loss of regular early wickets. Porterfield, Bray and Gillespie all made starts but were undone by Kent's accurate attack. South African Ryan McLaren and Antiguan Robbie Joseph made things difficult, with Joseph ending the game with three wickets for 50 off his allotted 10 overs and McLaren chipping in with two for 16 off seven.
A late rally by Kevin O'Brien, who scored 36 off 57 balls, contained some typically clean striking. While O'Brien was at the crease, an unlikely win could still have materialised, particularly when he was given good support by Kyle McCallan, with an undefeated 45 off 50 balls.
However, against a total that was at least 30 too many, the run-rate escalated, adding pressure to incoming batsmen. Their job was made harder by some excellent bowling by the tall, rangy figure of Simon Cook, the Kent fast medium bowler who finished with three for 31 off 10. Coincidentally, Cook made his professional debut against Ireland, playing for Middlesex in the then Benson and Hedges Cup in 1996.
Langford-Smith was last man in, having been injured when a ball hit his ankle when bowling in the Kent innings earlier in the day.
KENT
G O Jones b Johnston 12
D I Stevens c N J O'Brien b Langford-Smith ............................................................... 12
M van Jaarsveld b J F Mooney 11
R W T Key run out 16
M J Walker b J F Mooney 27
J L Denly not out 102
Yasir Arafat c K J O'Brien b A R White 4
R McLaren c N J O'Brien b Johnston 12
J C Tredwell not out 23
Extras b2 lb3 w5 nb2 12
Total 7 wkts (50 overs) 231
Fall: 1-33; 2-43; 3-74; 4-105; 5-105; 6-132.
Did Not Bat: S J Cook, R H Joseph.
Bowling: Johnston 10-1-1-2; Langford-Smith 4.5-1-25-1; A C Botha 9-1-33-0; J F Mooney 9.1-2-29-2; McCallan 7-1-26-0; K J O'Brien 6-1-29-0; A R White 4-0-43-1; .
IRELAND
W T S Porterfield c Joseph b McLaren 13
J P Bray c Tredwell b Yasir Arafat 13
A C Botha c G O Jones b Joseph 7
N J O'Brien c G O Jones b McLaren 7
P G Gillespie c Walker b Cook 11
A R White lbw b Joseph 8
K J O'Brien c van Jaarsveld b Cook 36
D T Johnston c van Jaarsveld b Joseph 3
W K McCallan not out 45
J F Mooney b Cook 3
D Langford-Smith lbw b Tredwell 11
Extras b4 lb1 w5 nb6 16
Total (43.5 overs)173
Fall: 1-24; 2-38; 3-50; 4-52; 5-68; 6-80; 7-91; 8-128; 9-142.
Bowling: Joseph 10-0-50-3; Yasir Arafat 9-1-28-1; McLaren 7-2-16-2; Cook 10-0-31-3; Tredwell 5.5-0-33-1; Stevens 2-0-10-0.
Umpires: T E Jesty and A A Jones7
Kent won by 58 runs
