Ireland tamely surrendered a 12-year unbeaten record at Ayr yesterday as they lost to Scotland in a first-class match for the first time since 1988. A purposeless second-innings batting display saw the visitors dismissed for 121, allowing the Scots to gallop to victory by six wickets.
With the exception of Matt Dwyer, and to a lesser extent Mark Gillespie, making his debut, the Irish lacked fight and the desire to avoid defeat.
Ireland not only needed to preserve wickets but also to score runs, which was not a priority for the earlier batsmen yesterday as they contrived to add just 33 in 25 overs before lunch. If there was an Irish game plan when Peter Shields and Gillespie resumed on 54 for 3, it was not apparent and any thought of scoring quickly enough to set Scotland a target disappeared in the third over along with Shields' middle stump.
Gillespie hung around for 50 minutes, adding 10 to his overnight 12 before he was unluckily adjudged lbw to a delivery that jacked back but struck him high.
Ireland's innings folded after skipper Kyle McCallan was bowled by off-spinner Gregor Maiden for a painstaking 17. Andy Patterson - 10 from 76 balls - was taken at slip, driving left-armer Andy Tennant, and Paul Mooney fell to a sharp catch at forward short-leg off the same bowler.
Dwyer made a desperate attempt to prolong the end but was left high and dry when Asim Butt yorked last man Adrian McCoubrey .
He was not dry for long, though, as a heavy shower interrupted his first over - the third of the Scotland chase - but after half-an-hour Graig Williamson and Bruce Patterson returned to plunder 50 from seven overs. Williamson made 41 from 45 deliveries before he was bowled by Gillespie.
The leg spinner also enticed Patterson to play on and with Dwyer chipping in with two wickets, his team-mates stopped looking speculatively to the storm clouds and belatedly joined the fight with some aggressive fielding. It was never going to be quite enough to save the game, though, and when Craig Wright's winning six landed in a nearby garden, Scotland were home with 10 balls to spare.
