Ireland's second visit to Holland, the first having been in 1970, was very satisfactory. Ireland won off the second last ball and made more to win in the fourth innings than had ever been made before. The weather was lovely for all three days as was the ground, the matting wicket and the hospitality. The match was sponsored by the ABN bank who gave a dinner, a cold Buffet and a canal trip. Ireland had changed captains. AJ O'Riordan, after seven matches (four wins in a row) was deposed in favour of A Linehan. The latter captains Ulster Country in the Guinness Cup. His five matches for Ireland have been in five different countries and he has never had a home cap. As regards selection it was decided that Anderson would be the second slow bowler. This eliminated Duffy and left another batting place which was given to JSL Mitchell, who was scoring well for Phoenix and is left-handed. Then Monteith, Anderson and J Harrison all called off. Duffy returned and two further new caps were given to JF Short, the 23 year old Cork batsman and SC Corlett of NICC. The latter bowls both fast and off spin. Born in Malawi he is in his second season in Irish cricket. In 1971-72 he gained a Blue at Oxford.

All three debutants did well. Mitchell scored 41 and 22, Corlett took six wickets and batted well to win the match. To Short goes pride of place. He broke all records by scoring 71 and 55 and looked a very good player with few weaknesses. Not since Monteith in 1965 had an Irish player scored 50 on debut.

The match started at 2 PM on Friday after a morning practice on the pitch. O'Riordan and Torrens bowled a poor line at the start. 25 came quickly, and then Torrens took two wickets in three balls. Duffy caught Trejzelaar chest high at gully off a fast cut and Van Wel touched the best ball of the match to Colhoun. It seamed away off the mat. After about an hour Corlett, bowling fast, and Goodwin came on. Van Laer was aggressive and struck the ball very hard. He had taken over the Dutch captaincy from Bakker. 54 came in an hour, Van Laer 30. At 73 Bakker gave Torrens at first slip a high fast catch off Corlett which went past. After 74 minutes Van Laer on drove Corlett for six and went to 50 in the same over. In the same over Bakker mis-hooked Corlett and Torrens took a high catch behind the wicket-keeper. 84-3-16. Next ball Van Laer cut fast to Duffy's right at gully and a superb catch was held two-handed. 84-4-50. Rijkens survived the hat-trick on the first ball of Corlett's next over. In between Goodwin removed Van Rijn for 0. He firmly pushed to leg and Pigot, at short leg, took a good catch. Three wickets had fallen at 84. Corlett, after bowling too short, improved and got quicker also. At 92 Torrens returned for him. At 97 Rijkens nibbled at Goodwin and Colhoun caught. 97-6-7. 100 came up in 128 minutes but at that score Wijhuizen swept Goodwin and Short took a good waist high catch at leg slip.

At tea the score was 102-7. At 109 O'Riordan dropped Onstein at short fine leg off Torrens but Duffy, with his fifth ball, bowled Onstein at 114, the batsman being very late with his stroke. The last two wickets added 80! Van Nispen and Stel added 25 for the ninth wicket in 50 minutes. Van Nispen, when nine, gave Pigot a sharp one-handed chance at square leg off O'Riordan. Goodwin returned at 128 and Corlett at 135. The former had Stel LBW at 139, trying to hit to leg. Smits came in and hit about him in great style. The last pair added 55 of which Smits made 44 not out with two sixes and two fours. He sent up 150 with a six over midwicket hit on the rise off Goodwin. Torrens and Duffy came on. Smits hit Duffy for a straight six and 10 off the over. The 50 stand came in 48 minutes. Eventually, at 194, O'Riordan yorked van Nispen. The Irish bowling had not been good, the line and length being at fault. Before the close at 7 PM Pigot and O'Brien had scored 5-0.

Play on the second day began at 11 AM. After 10 minutes Pigot slipped when driving at Stel and was caught by Bakker at first slip. 14-1-6. 10 minutes later O'Brien suffered a similar fate off a slight lifter. The catch was doubtful and it was the square leg umpire who nodded the decision. At 23 O'Riordan offered Stel a sharp catch off a sweep at short square leg which was dropped. There followed a long and splendid partnership between Short and O'Riordan. At 39 Van Rijn replaced Stel. O'Riordan hooked his first ball gently up in the air. Smits had turned his back at square leg and the catch went to ground. Short hit the next two balls, both short, for fours. Smits (off spin) and Van Wel were tried but after 110 minutes this morning 100 came up. At lunch, at 1 PM, the score was 107-2, with O'Riordan 41, Short 46. There were a lot of fours hit off bad balls.

Stel's first ball after lunch was a no ball which Short hit for 4 to go to his 50 in 110 minutes. Wijhuizen then bowled for the first time. He bowled 20 overs of gentle floaters to take 5-49. The hundred stand came in 112 minutes of which Short made 56. As 127 O'Riordan reached 50 in 120 minutes. At 137 O'Riordan was LBW to Wijhuizen for 54 and Short was caught and bowled comfortably for 71 at 156. He hit 12 fours and batted for 162 minutes in a dream debut. In the same over Linehan was bowled for 0 and Duffy was bowled by Onstein off the first ball of the next over. 157-5. The next pair, Mitchell and Torrens, added 35 of which Torrens made 26, including two fours in one over off Smits. At 192 he mis-hooked Wijhuizen high to short fine leg were Stel took the catch. At 195 Corlett was caught at short leg trying to turn Smits and at 195 Goodwin misdrove Wijhuizen to the substitute fielder (for Rijkens, who had an injured leg) at extra cover. Mitchell, not batting well, had been stuck on 12 for a long time and had been in over 73 minutes. He now made 29 of a last wicket stand of 31 with Colhoun. When 28 he was dropped at mid-wicket off Wijhuizen. After 80 overs the new ball was taken at 220 and, at tea, the score was 225-9, the tea interval, by agreement, not being movable. At 226 Mitchell was caught at short leg. The Irish lead was 32 but should have been more after the efforts of Short and O'Riordan.

98 minutes were left to bat when Trijzeelan and Van Laer went in again. Again the bowling was poor. Torrens conceded 24 runs in four overs. At 39 Corlett replaced him. Van Laer mis-hooked his first ball which flew over the slips. Neither saw it soon enough and O'Riordan dropped it. Van Laer was 32. 50 came up on 47 minutes, Van Laer 41. At 54 Trijzeelan was hit on the neck by Corlett and had to retire hurt. Goodwin came on at 68, something that was too long delayed. He put a brake on the scoring and in his third over Van Laer misdrove him to Mitchell at cover. 75-1-53. Van Laer's 53 had nine fours and he batted 78 minutes. At close of play the score was 77-1, Van Wel 10, Bakker one.

Scoring was brisk on the third morning. Goodwin relieved O'Riordan and at 120 he bowled Bakker who swung across the ball with his head up. 120-2-28. Trijzeelan returned but scored slowly, after the previous pair had added 43 in 48 minutes this morning. Off Corlett Duffy made a great effort to catch Van Wel diving to his right at gully. Duffy was given a bowl but van Wel swept him for 4 to go to his 50 at 152-2. Corlett then tried off spin. Duffy almost caught and bowled van Laer after making a lot of ground to his left. Lunch was taken after two hours at 170-3, Van Wel 65, Trijzeelan 16 (of which he had scored eight today in 70 minutes).

Afterwards wickets fell at regular intervals. At 174 Trijzeelan was LBW to Corlett for 19. Corlett also bowled Van Rijn at 186 and next over, at 188, he also got Rijkens who skied to mid-off. O'Riordan came back as 199. At 209 got the vital wicket of Van Wel. It was a slash to Duffy's left at gully. Van Wel scored 85 in 200 minutes and batted very well. At 231 Wijhuizen was LBW to O'Riordan and, at 236, off Corlett, O'Riordan, at short extra cover, knocked up a drive with his right hand and then caught it. Onstein and Stel added 17 in 10 minutes and it needed a new ball to break the stand. Stel slashed Torrens to give Duffy at third man his fourth catch of the match. At this point Holland made a very good declaration leaving Ireland 222 to win in 115 minutes and 20 overs. Goodwin was once again the best bowler but Corlett took 4-88 in 30 overs. Torrens conceded 45 runs in 10.4 overs.

The Irish start was bad. O'Brien was caught off bat and pad off the fourth ball from Onstein. Pigot gave Van Wel at second slip an easy catch off his first ball bowled by Stel. He survived this and took 10 off the over. Short also began at speed and Stel conceded 21 in his three overs. The first target was 60 by tea in 45 minutes. In fact the score was 62-1, Pigot 29, Short 23. This was the basis of ultimate victory. Van Wel and Onstein bowled after tea. Smits came on at 81 and Wijhuizen at 94. 100 came up 33 minutes after tea. The next target was 140 by 5:30 PM, that is in 70 minutes after tea. Pigot went to 50 out of 106 in 84 minutes. After a stand of 121 Short was LBW to Wijhuizen for 55 scored in 91 minutes. It was a brilliant and unique debut for the young Corkman. At 127 Pigot was also LBW to Smits on one that kept a little low. O'Riordan and Mitchell in 10 minutes added 15 runs. As the 20 overs was begun the score was 142-3.

Smits bowled the first of the 20 overs, Wijhuizen the second and was replaced by van Rijn for the fourth - the latter had not bowled before in the innings. The target was four per over. After six overs 25 had been scored. In the seventh over Mitchell was caught at deep square leg off Smits. In Smits next over Linehan, off successive balls, hit two enormous sixes, the first of a no ball called for having more than two fielders behind the wicket on the leg side. After 10 overs 44 had been scored. 186-4. Onstein replaced Smits. In the 13th over he bowled Linehan 15, head up. 193-6. The next two overs only produced four runs and 23 were required off five overs. Five came in Van Rijn's next over but Torrens played on to the second last ball. 204-6-5. In Onstein's next over seven were scored including "a charged" straight four by Goodwin. Van Rijn's next over, the 18th, yielded five which included a snick for four by Goodwin. Six were now required off two overs. Off the third ball of the 19th over O'Riordan was caught at cover for 38. He had acted as anchorman and had played very well. Corlett scampered a single of the fifth ball and Goodwin rushed far down the wicket to drive the last ball for four. The scores were level with Corlett facing Van Rijn. The fielders crowded in. There was an LBW appeal off the first ball; the second was played; the third was swung at with no contact; the fourth was played to short mid-wicket; they agreed to run on the fifth regardless but there was no need as Corlett glanced it for four to bring a famous and record-breaking victory. Onstein was Hollands best bowler in this innings. The return to Ireland was made at teatime the next day after sightseeing and shopping in Amsterdam. To chase the total without two first choice batsman was indeed a splendid effort.

Age 43 this was GAA Duffy's 55th and last match for Ireland. First capped in 1953 he had scored 1123 runs at 18.11 and his underused bowling brought 82 wickets at 19.23.