After a disappointing start in Ireland’s first ever C&G Trophy, they beat Gloucester yesterday and took Glamorgan right down to the wire, losing in the end by a mere 15 runs in what must have been a solid middle order performance. Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi appears to be at the centre of Ireland’s new level of cricket. Check the rest of fixtures, and give them some moral support if they are playing near you!!
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Ah now we need more of this sort of thing to show that nice Mr Donaldson that we are not forgetting teh unionists. What could be more British than playing cricket against a Welsh side, while the star of our show is a Pakistani? The Empire at play, what a sight to behold. We’ll just gloss over the fact that a previous captain of Ireland – Hansie Cronje – was a blatant cheat and recount instead how the mighty Irish once bowled out the Windies for 20-something after a night on the piss at the Bushmills distillery. Now they were the glory days.
“The Empire at play, what a sight to behold. ”
LOL (:
This is a news story Donnacha, not a history lesson.
Hansie Cronjie played for Ireland in the B&H in 1997. The Sion Mills episode was 1968. But in this era Ireland beat them again at Stormont just two years ago – without the aid of alcohol excess the night before. Ireland also qualfied for the World Cup finals last year for the first time.
Afridi clearly makes a difference to the team, but if you look at the whole middle order figures it’s clear there is quality there from the Irish born players.
These are exciting times for Irish Cricket. No one is suggesting they are on their way to becoming a first class team, but good news is good news!
As for your comment that cricket is somehow a Unionist game, well you clearly haven’t been reading Slugger very long.
Mick,
Great result against Gloucester. I know an avid Gloucester fan. I’ve not rung him yet to ask for a comment! Alas the game against Sussex (Hove ground- near where lived C.S.Parnell with Kitty O’Shea) is a home game in Clontarf, next year then.
Donnacha, so you didn’t watch the 2005 Ashes then?
In my push for the pedant of the day award, Ireland beat Gloucestershire, the County rather than the City…
I found this little snippet about Irish Cricket I think I already posted some time back, but it’s worth a repeat-
As history in sport goes – cricket is ripe. Parnell skippered for Wicklow CC … while De Valera, though not exactly a talented player, took a keen interest in the Blackrock side. There is an anecdotal tale told of how he turned up at a match in Trinity after he had made it in politics. He picked up a bat, played a few practice balls but dropped the bat like a hot potato when a cameraman arrived on the scene. Beckett was a useful batsman who played for Trinity in the 1920s against county sides. His death was reported in Wisden, the cricket bible – the only Nobel Prize winner to get such a mention.
http://www.backpacker.ie/article.php?id=276
Refelection, revision, reform are all a complete waste of time for the Orange Order. It’s very raison d’etre is anti-catholicism. Whether this be religiously, culturally or politically anti-catholicism or any combination of the three matters not a whit. Without its raison d’etre it dies. And since it is clearly socially repugnant that any organisation devoted to religious sectarianism should continue it is high time that it was disbanded and its shameful memory eradicated from decent human contemplation.
Apologies. The above has inadvertently been posted to the wrong field and is clearly intended as a comment on Roy Garland’s piece on Brian Kennaway’s book.
Carry on, please, enjoy the cricket.
No problem Rory. I quite enjoyed the incongruity actually!
There was more truth in Rory’s mispost than he can ever know. Which is to say, it’s time for more from alternate reality Orisih101:
Congruous or what?
Wow. I stand corrected. I have to admit I did read Rory’s post twice before I saw his mea culpa below it. It is rare that any thread on this site does not desend into some socio-political-historical rant of some description even a thread that starts out as innocuous as reporting a cricket result…whoops. That would be the first post. Sorry Donnacha, you got there first.
Man goes to Doctor.
Man: Doc, I’ve got a cricket ball stuck up my arse.
Doc: How’s that?
cricket – one of the few sports in norn iron where there is sincere integration between religions and cultures.
just like Jack Charltons team, we do need some quality imports that are “Irish”.
whatever, the cricket world cup will be more interesting than the football wc in germany this summer.
Dead right! Though I have a mate who is planning to go to Germany to support Trinidad and Tobago. Some people will do anything to follow the green!
good to see the english have already made their excuses…