Ireland crash to heavy defeat
Harsh lessons continue for Ireland’s cricketers as Nottinghamshire gave the boys a bit of a pasting at Trent Bridge today. Having conceded 346 (a Notts record; the unfortunate Keith Kevin O’Brien responsible for 52 in just 4 overs) Ireland were never in the hunt and ended up losing by 134 runs. Ireland prop up the group A table but must try and recover quickly as they take on a winless Leicestershire side at Grace Road in the morning (text commentary here).
Disappointing start. Tomorrow looks more hopeful.
What else is to be expected from our B side? We will never be competitive outside of the associate tournaments if England and their counties continue to take our best players.
I don’t blame the players for doing it as I would do the same as them if I was lucky enough to be as good as the William Porterfields of this world. If Ireland had Morgan, Porterfield, Rankin, Joyce etc etc then we would be a team to be reckoned with.
As is stands, Bangladesh would comfortably beat us. Stirling will be the next to go, then wilson. When will it end? The ICC has to answer these questions in a positive fashion for Irish cricket to have any future.
tresc2003 @ 12:41 AM:
Valid points. Well made.
Likewise Notts didn’t have Charlie Shreck (not as if that would have helped the batting).
But, of course, “England and their [sic] counties [will] continue to take our best players”. There’s really only one way to prevent that: go thoroughly professional and achieve what Durham have done so successfully. What is positive here is that Irish club cricket is producing players strong enough for the full county-level game. As one brought up on Norfolk village and Minor Counties cricket (the Edriches, Peter Parfitt, Clive Radley), I don’t see anything too wrong with that.
And, hey!, Irish cricket remains the only country with a Nobel Prize winner plucked from its cohorts.
Fordham needed to be solid in the early stages but instead they endured a disastrous opening 10 minutes and conceded two sloppy goals. It was a position they never recovered from.The home side had their chances but the …