CRICKET/ ICC Trophy:  A devastating spell of medium-pace bowling from Naseer Shoukat has put Ireland on top of the Europe division of the Inter-Continental Cup with a comprehensive victory over the Netherlands in Deventer yesterday.

Ireland were superior in every department of the game all the way through this three-day game with the home side falling short by an innings and 47 runs.

With one match remaining in the group, Ireland are in pole position to win through to the final stages of this new competition in the UAE in November. A draw against Scotland in Castle Avenue next month will guarantee them their trip to the Middle East and even a defeat in that game may still be enough, depending on the bonus points' situation.

While the final scorecard is as comprehensive as it could have been, the result was in doubt as bad weather threatened to save the Dutch. Needing to take nine wickets in the final day, it was all out attack for Ireland with fielders being placed around the bat from start to finish.

With rain on the way, a cautious Netherlands looked like they might just hold out, going into lunch at 103 for 4. But with the first two balls after the interval, Shoukat took the wickets of Darron Reekers and Tom de Grooth, heralding a collapse that reduced the Netherlands to 125 for 9 and, eventually, 141 all out and giving the Pakistan-born veteran his first five-wicket haul in Ireland colours.

SCOREBOARD

INTER-CONTINENTAL CUP

(at Deventer)

HOLLAND first innings 200 (M van Nierop 38, D Johnston 4-34) and 0 for 1, 2 overs (N Shoukat 0-1). IRELAND first innings 388 for 8 dec (A White 152 not out, D Johnston 60, A Botha 42, P Gillespie 31; E Scherfli 4-70)

HOLLAND second innings

M van Neirop c Ogilby b Thompson 41

A Raja c Ogilby b White 18

B Zuiderent lbw McCallan 13

L van Troost b Johnston 25

D Reekers lbw b Shoukat 4

T de Grooth c Bray b Shoukat 0

J-J Eismeijer c Ogilby b Shoukat 6

E Shiferli lbw Shoukat 7

J Smits not out 4

S Gokke c Johnston b McCallan 10

Extras (5b, 5w, 3nb) 13

Total (56.1 overs) ... 141

FOW: 1-0, 2-54, 3-70, 4-86, 5-103, 6-103, 7-114, 8-118, 9-125. Bowling: Johnston 9-2-29-1, Shoukat 9-2-30-5, McCallan 13.1-3-23-2, Thompson 19-7-42-1, White 6-2-12-1. Ireland (30pts) beat Holland (10.5) by an innings and 47 runs.

EUROPE

P W L D Bonus T

Ireland 1 1 0 0 16 30

Holland 2 0 1 1 26.5 26.5

Scotland 1 0 1 0 17.5 17.5 (Ireland play Scotland in Clontarf on August 4th-6th)