Irish trash pointless W/Wards for first win

Feb 08, 2014 Sports

By Sean Devers in Trinidad  In Association with Digicel, Carib Beer,
Giftland Office Max, Payless Variety Store &  Leisure Inn & Car Rentals

The Windward Islands were defeated by Ireland by 64 runs in a bottom of the table match yesterday at the Queens Park Oval in the NAGICO Super50 Regional cricket contest as the Irish finally got off the mark in their final match of the eight team tournament.
Windwards collapsed to 115 all out off 35 overs replying to the 179 all out in 48.3 made by the Irish as they finished pointless in the tournament playing in Zone ‘A’. Jamaica and Guyana have already qualified as zone ‘A’ semi-finalists.
Niall O’Brian top scored with 44, but only Stuart Thompson, who made 32, of the other batsmen passed 15 in another disappointing display before Ireland head to Jamaica to take on the West Indies in two t20s and an ODI later this month.
But if the Irish batting was poor, the display by the Windwards was atrocious as they narrowly avoided being bowled out for what would have been only the fourth double figure total at this level. Only Tyrone Theophile (27) passed 20 with Left-arm spinner George Dockrell bagging 3-14.
Thompson and Max Sorensen (17) offered some hope with a fighting 38-run seventh wicket stand before they were dismissed in quick succession and the Irish, already assured of a place in next year’s World Cup, never recovered.
Left-arm pacer Delorn Johnson had an impressive 9.3 over spell, finishing with 3-25 for the dethroned defending Champions.
The Windwards, with three titles at this level to their name after claiming their first in 1989 when they beat Guyana in Grenada, were off to a poor start with Johnson Charles (1) pulling Thompson to short mid-wicket at 2-1 as Thompson and especially 23-year-old debutant Craig Young bowled with some pace.
Tyrone Theophile and Andre Fletcher, who has played 15 ODIs for the West Indies, put together 32 for the second wicket with Fletcher dominating the stand on the extremely quick outfield.
Watched by a spattering of spectators who were admitted free of charge, Fletcher (19) hit the first six of the innings in the eighth over but he soon gave his wicket away in the same over to Dockrell to leave his team on 32-2.
Dockrell struck again when he trapped Theophile LBW for 27 as the Windwards slipped to 54-3. Romel Currency was struck painfully on his ‘box’ by Sorensen and was floored but got back to his feet and resumed the battle.
It was soon 57-4 when Keddy Lesporis, who became the first non Trinidadian to score a ton on this ground against Jamaica, went for a duck and the Islanders were making a meal of the small total.
At 86-5 Dalton Poulis (17) pushed forward to a ball which bounced and turned from Dockrell and was taken at short leg as the Irish attacked.
Currency (12) again found himself flat on the ground but this time, diving full length to avoid being run out after he and Liam Sebastien (both with Masters degrees to their name) failed to judge the single, resulting in Currency being run out at 89-6. When Craig Emmanuel (6) was bowled by off-spinner Sterling, it was all over for the Windwards.
The Windward Islands now reassemble to prepare for the four-day competition.