IRELAND EASE TO A COMFORTABLE WIN VERSUS WEST INDIES

MAN OF THE MATCH STIRLING SCORES 92
 

AFTER he hit the winning runs against England in Bangalore, Johnny Mooney hurled his bat high in the air and screamed as his teammates charged on to celebrate.
Yesterday in the small town of Nelson, New Zealand, Mooney’s boundary again clinched a World Cup win.
But this time he took off his helmet slowly and shook the hand of the nearest West Indian fielder. The rest of the team walked on to the field to celebrate in a much more low-key fashion than four years ago.
This wasn’t a “giant-killing” as the commentators wanted to frame it. This was a highly talented team going about the professional dismantling of a rival.
Job done, move on.
William Porterfield’s men moved on last night to the north-east of Australia where they play the United Arab Emirates this day week, before they head into the deep waters of a game against South Africa.
“I don’t see it as an upset”, Porterfield said afterwards. “We prepared to come into this game to win. We’re going to prepare to go into the UAE game to win.
“It’s where we’re at.” It was a win born in the well-made plans of Phil Simmons and his staff, and executed with style by the Irish fielders, spinners and top order bats.
Calling the toss right was a great help, allowing the Irish bowlers first use of a pitch which only gave help to the bowlers for about 20 minutes at the start of the day.
The first ten over powerplay saw just 40 runs conceded and two vital wickets claimed. The Irish spinners then started to turn up the heat and none more than Andrew McBrine, a late surprise call up who had never played against a major nation.
The 21 year old from the Co Tyrone village of Donemana coughed up just 26 runs off his ten overs, and completed a brilliant run out of Darren Bravo for a diamond duck. George Dockrell was hit for six by Chris Gayle but kept his nerve to claim his wicket and the Windies other star batsman Marlon Samuels in the space of three-balls.
At 87-5 Ireland were well on top, and could have sealed it early had Paul Stirling not dropped Darren Sammy first ball off a tricky slip chance.
It took another 89 runs before Sammy was finally subdued after a brilliant fight-back stand of 154 in 20 overs with Lendl Simmons.
The latter did his best to ruin the day of his second cousin Phil with an 84-ball century which ended in the last over after hitting five sixes. Dockrell finished with 3-50 and there were wickets for Mooney, Kevin O’Brien and Max Sorensen but Ireland’s seamers struggled against an unyielding pitch, short boundaries and a fast outfield.
The batting conditions were the same for Ireland of course, and the experienced top order finally clicked after a difficult winter. Porterfield and Stirling got on the attack early and raced ahead of the required run-rate.
After ten overs, by comparison, they had reached 61-0. The captain went trying to hit Gayle’s gentle spin but Stirling was joined by Ireland’s class act, Ed Joyce.
With the West Indies bowling far too short, there were runs to be had and both batsmen played a great range of shots through and over the fielders. They showed no fear as they raced past the 100 mark with Stirling putting feared bowlers like Jerome Taylor to the sword with a sequence of 4-6-4-4.
They had put together a century stand when Stirling fell eight short of a well-deserved century with a thin edge off the innocuous Marlon Samuels, by when Ireland were almost 100 ahead of where their opponents had been at the same stage.
Joyce was joined by Niall O’Brien who frequently talks of his regret that he was out for a match-winning 72 just before the win was sealed over Pakistan in 2007.
The Railway Union man carried on where Stirling left off, mixing aggression with defence before Joyce too fell for a marvellous 84, the same score as he made against West Indies in 2011.
His departure led to a flurry of wickets which might have caused panic in a lesser side. Four wickets fell in less than five overs for 18 runs, but just 14 were needed when O’Brien was joined by Mooney.
The veterans have given so much to the sport over the last decade and it was fitting they were there to see it home.


Successful 300 chases in World Cups:

• Ireland 329 for 7 v England in 2011
• Sri Lanka 313 for 7 v Zimbabwe in 1992
• Ireland 307 for 4 v Netherlands in 2011
• Ireland 307 for 6 v West Indies in 2015
• England 301 for 9 v West Indies in 2007

CONNAUGHT DEFEAT MIGHTY MUNSTER 24-16

Conaught 24-16 Munster

Conaught claimed the prized scalp of provincial rivals Munster after fighting back from 13 points down to clinch a memorable 24-16 New Year's Day derby victory in gusty Galway.
Conaught’s first win over Munster since December 2008 - and only their second in the last 42 meetings - saw them extend their unbeaten home record this season to eight games.
Ian Keatley, the former Conaught fly-half, used his knowledge of the famed Sportsground wind to help Munster lead this hard-edged Guinness Pro12 derby 13-0 by the quarter hour mark.
He converted Peter O'Mahony's 10th-minute try and kicked two penalties in very difficult conditions, before a brilliantly engineered try by Kieran Marmion - started and converted by Craig Ronaldson - got Connacht back in touch.
Keatley's third successful penalty made it 16-7 to the visitors at half-time, only for wind-backed Conaught to respond with 17 unanswered points in the third quarter.
Well-worked tries from fly-half Ronaldson and lock Aly Muldowney were both converted by Darragh Leader, with Ronaldson's replacement Miah Nikora landing a 55th-minute penalty.
Although they threw everything at Conaught in a gripping climax, Munster endured a scoreless second half thanks to some defiant, disciplined defending from the hosts.
This interprovincial tie started as it finished, with Anthony Foley's side pinning Conaught back in their 22.
After returning captain O'Mahony forced his Conaught counterpart John Muldoon to concede a ruck penalty, Keatley gave the visitors a seventh-minute lead.
Conaught's maul defence has been particularly strong this season, but they were found wanting when O'Mahony found space to power over in the left corner with support from BJ Botha and Duncan Williams.
A superb conversion was swung over by Keatley for 10-0 and he soon added a second penalty, as Conaught desperately tried to bludgeon forward through their pack and lively centre Bundee Aki.
It took some terrific interplay between the home backs on the half hour to finally carve open the Munster defence.
Man-of-the-match Robbie Henshaw gobbled up Ronaldson's pinpoint kick over the top and he rode a tackle before passing for the supporting Marmion to dive over to the left of the posts.
Ronaldson drove over the conversion to close the gap to six points and just as the tide seemed to be turning, a high tackle by Aki on Simon Zebo allowed Keatley to close out the first half's scoring.
However, Conaught made the ideal start to the second period, Henshaw again hurtling through the Munster midfield and although Aki was hauled down close to the posts, a quick recycle saw Ronaldson crash over past two defenders.
The Conaught fly-half injured himself in the act of scoring, so winger Leader stepped up to add the conversion and make it a two-point game - 16-14.
The centre pairing of Aki and Henshaw did some further damage before an offside decision saw Nikora boot Connaught in front with 25 minutes remaining.
A storming carry by Quinn Roux soon got Conaught back into scoring range and from a subsequent scrum, the fast-breaking Marmion was stopped just short before Muldowney muscled over from a couple of metres out.
The home crowd roared with delight as Leader added the extras from the left and despite Paul O'Connell and company clawing their way back to the 22 through countless phases, Conaught survived a spate of late onslaughts to ensure they started 2015 with a considerable bang.
(c) Rte

POSSIBLE IRISH TEAM TO FACE AUSTRALIA THIS WEEKEND

Ireland play Australia in the last game of the Autumn Internationals having already beaten South Africa and Georgia thus far.

Here is my possible team to face the Wallabies on Saturday:

After the defeat of mighty South Africa and the downing of dour Georgia, a tough assignment awaits Joe Smidt's Irish team next Saturday.

Hopefully, Ireland can continue their 6 match winning streak against the Antipodians.