For the first time since 1947 Ireland set out on a three match tour - this game, Lords and Denmark. 13 players were picked for the tour. Seven key players were to play in all matches - O'Riordan, Goodwin, Duffy, Monteith (the only four bowlers) Colhoun (wicket-keeper), Pigot and Reith (opening batsmen). The other six - Anderson, Lewis, O'Brien, J Harrison; Dineen and A.Linehan (a new cap) - were to be rotated, each to get two matches. This policy went awry when Anderson and Monteith cried off the Danish trip. RD Daly, a batsman and new cap, was taken to Denmark and was assured that he would play. Daly had travelled to Holland in 1970 as 12th man. It seemed incredible that another quick bowler should not have been brought to Denmark for the matting wicket. As it was Ireland had to play with only three bowlers in Denmark, O'Riordan, Goodwin and Duffy. J Wills of Phoenix was not available but D Leng of YMCA should have been taken instead of Daly.

The Combined Services match was played in dull damp conditions. Leaking covers held up play for an hour at the start. The match was dull with slow scoring rates and Ireland's attempt to gain a good first-innings lead and win on the second day failed. A.Linehan was given his first cap for Ireland and Dineen and J Harrison were left out. CJ Russell, a batsman, was the only Services newcomer.

The Services won the toss and batted. Peck and Deverell made a slow start against O'Riordan and Goodwin. Deverell, a left-hander, was dropped at slip by Reith when 5 off O'Riordan. The total was seven and the catch was straightforward. At 14 Peck, driving at O'Riordan, was caught at cover. Monteith came on at 30 and Duffy at 36. Each took a wicket in his second over. Deverell lunged at Monteith and was caught at slip at 39. Moylan-Jones was twice beaten by Monteith in the same over. Next over Russell swept Duffy and O'Riordan swooped to his left near the umpire and took a very good catch. The score at lunch was 39-3, with both Moylan-Jones and Lishman yet to score.

After lunch Lishman hit Duffy for two fours to leg off successive balls. Then he heaved at Monteith and was bowled. 50-4-9. In Duffy's next over Lucas was run out. Moylan-Jones hit the ball to leg but Monteith's throw to Colhoun beat Lucas. 50-5-0. At 53 Lane drove Monteith to extra cover. O'Riordan made ground to his right and caught the ball at his left shoulder - his second good catch. Moylan-Jones and Dover added 22 and Goodwin came on for Duffy at 60. At 75 Monteith's spin caught the edge of Moylan-Jones's bat and he was caught at the wicket. He batted just over an hour for 14. Dover now found a good partner in Christy. Together they put on 43 for the 8th wicket in 56 minutes. The bowling was changed in Monteith came off for six overs. Dover played well despite putting a few over the slips heads! Monteith came back at 117 and in his first over had Dover (37) caught at deep wide mid-on. As 121 Monteith dropped Persse off a simple caught and bowled chance. Duffy bowled Christy at 123 and next over Monteith had Persse caught at cover. Ireland bowled 60.4 overs so the rate was only two an over. Monteith, on the soft drying wicket, took 6-33 in 19.4 overs.

Ireland had 110 minutes batting and scored 82-3. Pigot and Reith opened to Healey, who worked up a good pace, and Lane. Lane bowled Reith in his second over at 11. When he was nine, Pigot was given out LBW to Healey but the umpire changed his mind at once. When 10 Pigot completed his 1000 runs for Ireland in his 50th innings and 28th successive match. Pigot kept the score moving while O'Brien played quietly. Dover and Lucas bowled accurately and at 40 Dover had a frustrated Pigot stumped while trying to hit to leg. With Anderson in O'Brien suddenly opened out. He hit Lucas for two fours wide of mid-on. Christy came on and he was also hit for two fours by O'Brien in his first over. 41 were added in 32 minutes, O'Brien scoring 24 of them. Then, with five minutes to go, O'Brien was caught at slip off Dover while playing back. He was probably playing for "close of play". Duffy came in and the closing score was 82-3, Anderson 17, Duffy one.

Next day Ireland decided on a policy of getting as many as possible before lunch in an attempt to force an outright win without declarations. The policy failed and Ireland were all out just after 1 PM with a lead of only 30. Healey and Dover shared the bowling and both bowled well. Ireland started well. Duffy was in form and 28 were added in 30 minutes. Then both batsmen were out at the same score in successive overs. Anderson came down the wicket to Dover and was bowled with his head up for 26. Duffy was dropped at second slip by Deverell off Healey. Two balls later he cut Healey and Dover took a good low catch at deep gully. At 112 O'Riordan mishit Dover to deep mid-on. There was a confident appeal for a catch at the wicket off Lewis (Healey bowling) before he scored. It was disallowed and Lewis took 19 minutes to get off the mark and, after an hour's play, three wickets had fallen and 40 runs were added. Linehan now got moving and hit three fours in a score of 22. Then, at 145, he was caught at cover when not at the pitch of the ball. Lewis scored 10 in 50 minutes and was then caught at deep mid-on. At 150 Monteith was bowled swinging wildly. At 153 Goodwin hit Dover high to the mid-wicket boundary. Russell misjudged the flight and then held a remarkable catch in his right hand. Ireland's 153 had come off 73.2 overs and Dover had 7-54 in 29.2 overs of accurate off spin bowling.

There were only four hours left when the Services went back in. They had nothing to play for so the question was could Ireland bowl them out. One wicket fell before lunch when Deverell was LBW driving at Goodwin. The score at lunch was 8-1. Peck and Russell scored briskly in the half-hour after lunch. Monteith came on at 30 with the scores level. Duffy replaced O'Riordan at 36. At 42, 56 minutes after lunch, Peck was caught at the wicket cutting at Monteith. The ball lifted. 50 came up in 92 minutes. Then Moylan-Jones swept at Monteith and Linehan took the catch at backward square leg. Next over Russell pushed one from Duffy gently to Lewis at mid-on. Lishman and Lucas prevented an Irish breakthrough. They added 38 in 41 minutes. Monteith and Duffy changed ends and just before tea Lucas was caught at slip pushing at Monteith. 88-5-13. Lishman was now 25.

O'Riordan resumed bowling with Monteith but it was the latter who took the remaining four wickets that fell. O'Riordan conceded 10 runs in his last over and Duffy replaced him with the score on 114. At 115, Lishman (40) was caught at the wicket off Monteith playing back to a lifting ball. Anderson was tried for Duffy at 117. At 121 Dover was caught well by Reith at leg slip glancing Monteith. Next over from Monteith Lane was caught low and left-handed by Reith at slip. 121-8. Ireland would now have 19 overs to get 92. Christy and Perssse hung on for 11 minutes. At 122 Monteith dropped Perssse who drove the ball back at his midriff. At 5 54 pm Persse was caught low at extra cover by Goodwin and Services declared. They made 130 off 76 overs and left Ireland 101 to get in 12 overs. Ireland tried. Pigot hit Healey's first ball past mid-on for four and mis-hooked the second to the wicket-keeper. Linehan came in and there were eight off the first over. Reith took five off Lane and was bowled with his head up. O'Riordan was next. After two overs it was 15-2. Healey dropped Linehan of a caught and bowled to his right hand at 16. 18-2 after three overs. In the fourth over O'Riordan was bowled swinging at Lane. Anderson came in. After four overs it was 25-3. Then Healy bowled a maiden to Anderson. Laing conceded six runs to Linehan. 31-3. He conceded only one run to Anderson who was then lbw to Lane. Next over Linehan was out to Healy looking to square leg. The chase was off and Monteith and O'Brien played out time.

In this match Monteith took another 13 wickets. He had now set three new records. He is the only Irish bowler ever to have taken as many as 13 wickets twice (and he did it in successive matches), he was the only Irish bowler to take 10 or more wickets in three successive matches and the only Irish bowler to take five or more wickets in an innings six successive times. His total haul for the last three matches was 37 wickets for 270 runs. In these three matches 59 wickets were taken, 57 of them by bowlers.