4th TRIPLE CROWN TOURNAMENT

South Wales: 1-3 July 1996

Triple Crown 1996 Home Page

Wales v Ireland

Triple Crown
Ynysgerwyn: 3rd July 1996

Ireland won by 5 wickets

WALES
S Jenkins               c Doak b Curry  58                  O   M    R   W
M Newbold             c Curry b McCrum   1   M Patterson   10   2   33   1
K Bell                 c McCrum b Doak  40   McCrum         8   0   19   1
A Jones                     b McCallan  20   Heasley        7   0   47   0
+J Langworth   c Heasley b M Patterson  19   Harrison       9   1   25   0
J Sylvester                lbw b Curry   1   Doak           7   1   23   1
M Davies                       run out  33   McCallan       5   1   25   1
*B Lloyd                       run out   5   Curry          4   0   19   2
A Barr                         not out   9
B Morgan
A Griffiths 
Extras                    (lb 8, w 5)   13
Total             (50 overs, 8 wkts)   199
FOW: 1-3, 2-73, 3-117, 4-133, 5-142, 6-154, 7-166, 8-199
IRELAND
D Curry           c Griffiths b Davies  69                 O   M    R   W
K McCallan                      b Barr   6   Morgan        6   0   43   1
N Doak              c Langworth b Barr   1   Barr         10   2   32   2
A Patterson           c Jones b Morgan  23   Sylvester     4   1   15   0
*J Benson          st Langworth b Bell  44   Griffiths     5   0   34   0
A.R.Dunlop                     not out  52   Davies        6   1   29   1
D Heasley                      not out   1   Lloyd         4   0   21   0
G Harrison                                   Bell        6.1   1   24   1
+A Rutherford
P McCrum
M Patterson
Extras                    (lb 5, w 2)   7
Total          (41.1 overs, 5 wkts)   203
FOW: 1-42, 2-48, 3-84, 4-136, 5-184
Toss: Ireland.        Umpires: J.James,  T.Jones

The Limavady all-rounder, playing his first Irish match for 14 months and opening for only the third time, scored 60 off 55 balls with 10 fours and two sixes in an innings of mature responsibility which has lain dormant on the international arena far too long. Just for good measure, he was also the only Irish bowler to take two wickets as Wales, on an excellent batting strip, were restricted to 199 for eight. When Curry was out in the 21st over, skipper Benson immediately looked more comfortable at No 5 than he had done as opener, and Dunlop raced to his third successive victory against Wales this season off 37 balls with his boundary count of three sixes and five fours almost leaving Decker in the shade.

Ireland's perfect day started with Benson winning a toss which was not so crucial as it appeared at the time. The rain, due to arrive in early afternoon, never materialised, and allowed Ireland to ram home their superiority for the full duration of an increasingly one-sided match. Stefan Jenkins, the scourge of the Irish in the three-day game at Rathmines, was promoted to open the batting, and was again top scorer, but at a pace which suited Ireland. His 58 occupied 128 balls and in his 49-overs stay he hit only four boundaries. Curry, the fourth off-spinner used by Benson, finally had him caught at deep square leg, and when he trapped Jamie Sylvester in front in his next over, proved once again what a useful bowler he is at this level. Only Derek Heasley, preferred as the third seamer on the slow pitch to Ryan Eagleson, was short of his best form and, in hindsight, the experience of Paul McCrum, who bowled another splendid opening spell, may have been a better bet in the final two overs, which went for 18.

But anything under 200 was always a comfortable target for this formidable Ireland batting line-up. Curry announced his intentions by hitting the first three balls of the fourth over for four and, always under control, his hitting became more restrained and selective. His first six was pulled to wide long-on and his second almost immediately after reaching his first 50 for Ireland, in 35 balls, was the shot of the innings, landing in a garden over long-off. Tamed by the introduction of spin at both ends, he holed out to long-on to leave Ireland 84 for three- a job well done.

Perhaps over-awed by batting with Curry for the first time, Kyle McCallan played the least convincing of his six innings for Ireland, taking 41 balls over his five scoring strokes, and Neil Doak never got out of his crease in his too brief stay. Andy Patterson, however, looked very relaxed at No 4, against justifying his place as a specialist batsman, until he played one fateful pull and was caught at mid-wicket. His partnership with Benson put on 52 in 10 overs, but that was overshadowed by the arrival of Dunlop. Where the captain's innings was full of deft flicks and clever footwork, Dunlop batted with the confidence of someone who had scored two 90s against this opposition just four weeks earlier. His second scoring stroke was a four and the sixth was, according to the local scorer, the biggest six seen at this ground. He took 18 off an over from Ben Morgan-even Curry's best was only 13-and was powering Ireland to victory so quickly that Heasley had to play a maiden to allow Dunlop to finish the match.