4th TRIPLE CROWN TOURNAMENT

South Wales: 1-3 July 1996

Triple Crown 1996 Home Page

NCA England v Ireland

Triple Crown
Pontardulais: 4th July 1996

Ireland won by 7 wickets

ENGLAND NCA
S Foster   c Rutherford b M Patterson   0                 O   M    R   W
*M Roberts                   b McCrum   6   M Patterson   6   0   16   3
J Robinson                    run out  26   McCrum       10   3   31   1
D Clarke   c Rutherford b M Patterson   5   Eagleson      6   1   18   0
S Luckhrust         lbw b M Patterson   0   Harrison     10   3   31   2
D Snellgrove             retired hurt  34   Heasley       3   1    6   0
+S Waterton                   not out  30   Doak          8   0   29   2
C Gott        c Rutherford b Harrison   9   Curry         2   0    7   0
B Usher               c Benson b Doak   4
P Roshier     c Rutherford b Harrison   7
R Ellwood         c Rutherford b Doak   7
Extras            (lb 14, w 8, nb 2)   24
Total                    (45 overs)   152
FOW: 1-1, 2-7, 3-27, 4-27, 5-80, 6-110, 7-127, 8-138, 9-152
IRELAND
D Curry           c Waterton b Elwood  44                 O   M    R   W
A Patterson                   b Usher  41   Roshier       8   0   49   1
*J Benson                     not out  45   Usher       8.2   0   24   1
A.R.Dunlop              lbw b Roshier  11   Gott          2   0   17   0
N Doak                        not out   2   Foster        7   0   42   0
G Harrison                                  Elwood        5   0   18   1
D Heasley
+A Rutherford
P McCrum
R Eagleson
M Patterson
Extras            (lb 3, w 5, nb 2)   10
Total         (30.2 overs, 3 wkts)   153
FOW: 1-72, 2-96, 3-132
Toss: Ireland       Umpires: J.Evans, K.James.

Match Report (Ian Callender)

Again, there was only one failure with the bat-Angus Dunlop this time- as Andy Patterson, opening again in an unchanged side, outscored Decker Curry in a thrilling first team to victory. A no-ball denied him the winning hit but two hours later no-one could hold him back as he proudly collected the trophy so cruelly snatched from Ireland's grasp in the inaugural tournament three years ago. For the third successive day seven bowlers were used but unlike the wayward fare served up to Scotland this was high quality penetrating bowling backed by top class wicket keeping. The difference was the opening spells by Mark Patterson and Paul McCrum. Each took a wicket in his first over to reduce England to seven for two and Patterson followed up with two off successive balls in his fifth, including David Clarke, the top scorer at Comber last season and again against the Pakistanis the previous week. Clarke was brilliantly caught, low to his right, by Alan Rutherford, the second of five catches which capped a faultless performance behind the stumps. Patterson's only spell of six overs earned him the man of the match trophy but it was McCrum who took the prize scalp of England captain Malcolm Roberts with his third ball.

After that Ireland were on top and they never relinquished their superiority. Garfield Harrison and Neil Doak both came back well from a nervous start to share four wickets and their control encouraged Benson to introduce Curry for the 42nd over in preference to either Patterson or Ryan Eagleson, each with four overs unbowled. As David Snellgrove was in hospital with a broken finger, from a delivery by Derek Heasley, Ireland needed to take only nine wickets to end the innings.

Already reduced to eleven fit players, coach Chris Old, the former England and Yorkshire pace bowler, acted as substitute fielder. Even his know-how could not prevent another explosive start to the Irish innings but it was not Curry who provided it. Batting in a helmet for the first time this week, Decker's singles outnumbered his boundaries as the blossoming Andy Patterson took centre stage. At the end of the 10th over he had scored 40 out of 61 with shots to all parts of the ground including a superbly timed six over square leg. He faced only 46 balls for his 41 and was then yorked by Ben Usher off the first ball of his second spell. Curry, who also hit a six over mid-wicket, followed four overs later, caught behind down the leg side off the left arm spinner but 120 runs in three innings fully justified his recall. Benson also came good when it mattered and, fittingly, he was there at the end to claim the famous victory.