Ireland were much superior and won with about 95 minutes to spare. This was the third win in three matches in Ireland since the series resumed in 1972. Ireland brought back Corlett for Hughes. Wales had four newcomers - P. Hall; D. Samuel; S. Carey and P. Britten. Presdee had retired and David Jones was Captain. W. Slade and A. Wright cried off the Welsh team and were replaced by J. Hopkins and S. Carey. Cork was the only city in Ireland which was free of rain during the playing hours on this weekend. The wicket was not covered on the night before the start. It rained and the match began on a damp wicket. The seamers did well and Ireland were only rescued by a wonderful 80 by Monteith. He came in with the score at 50-5 and left at 160, being the eighth man out. Thereafter Ireland were always on top.
Reith and Short started to Owen and Carey. In Owen's second over Reith hit over a half volley and was bowled off stump. 8-1-3. Short and O'Brien played carefully as the ball moved about off the slow damp wicket. The Welsh ground fielding was good. Short gave a sharp chance to Bell to his right at gully and then Hopkins missed him badly at the wicket with the score on 18, both chances off Carey. There were many appeals and Short was eventually LBW to Ellis on the back foot in the new bowler's third over. 40-2-24. Two runs later O'Brien got one from Carey that left him and he was caught behind. 42-3-14. At 50 Carey took two wickets with successive balls. Harpur was LBW trying to glance to leg and Harte was caught at silly mid-off. Monteith now joined Anderson. At lunch, after 34 overs, Monteith was eight, Anderson 14 and the total 65-5. Anderson, when nine, had passed SF Bergin's record aggregate of 2524 runs for Ireland. Both had played 53 matches but Anderson was in his 94th innings compared to Bergin's 98. After lunch the pace quickened as the pitch dried.
The Ireland team
Carey was still bowling. Anderson hit him for two fours and played on in the same over when his bat caught his pad. 83-6-22. Then came the 60 run partnership between Monteith and Corlett. Corlett made four of these runs, one boundary hit when the score was 107. The stand lasted for 93 deliveries of which Corlett faced only 33. Monteith moved mostly in fours and twos. Ellis was tried and conceded 14 in three overs. Monteith hit 10 in an over off both Owen and Carey. He reached 50 when the score was 116 in 67 minutes Edwards and Britten, two slow left armers, were tried. Britten conceded 22 runs in four overs. Edwards had Corlett caught by Owen at square leg in his third over - a controversial catch. 143-7-4. Monteith took 11 off a Britten over. When 80, and the total 160, Monteith was bowled around his legs sweeping at Edwards. 160-8-80. This was his highest score for Ireland and was full of good strokes. He batted for 102 minutes, faced 100 deliveries and hit 14 fours. Both Elder and Colhoun were LBW and the final total was 165 off 63 overs in 221 minutes Edwards, not tried soon enough, had 3-6 in seven overs. Carey took 4-52 in 21 overs.
Tea was taken at this point. Then Jones and Ambrose began against Elder and Corlett. Both openers were LBW to Corlett - Ambrose at 19 and Jones at 20. Samuel and Ellis took the score to 47. Monteith came on for Elder at 70. Both batsmen were dropped at first slip by Reith, Samuel when three off Monteith and Ellis when 17 off the same bowler. In the same over Monteith bowled Ellis around his legs. 47-3-19. Halliday had come on at 38 for Corlett. At 53 Samuel did not play a shot at a ball from Halliday which bowled him. 53-4-11. The first ball of Halliday's next over bowled Hopkins and Bell successfully negotiated a hat trick. Hall and Bell added 19. Then the left-handed Hall misdrove Halliday to Harte at extra cover. 78-6-16. Three runs later Monteith bowled Edwards and play ended for the day at this point. Wales were 81-7, with Bell six.
Leading by 39, Reith and Short set off again at 3:45 PM. There were 50 minutes until tea at which point Ireland were 34-1. The dismissal of Short (11), bowled trying to work Edwards, brought the interval. At this point Reith was 21. At 45 O'Brien, then two, was LBW to Edwards on the back foot. Anderson got little strike but Reith hit seven fours in his 41 before, at 66, pulling a full toss from Edwards to short mid-wicket. Bell bowled a tidy spell of leg spin at the other end. At 79 he bowled Harpur (12) who tried to sweep a ball which was on the wicket. With Harte in Anderson began to get a lot of the bowling. In 15 overs he raced from 12 to 52 (taking 75 minutes in all). At 23 he gave Ellis a hard chance at slip off Edwards. At close of play Ireland were 147-4, Anderson 52, Harte 21. Britten had bowled four overs just before the end and conceded 23. His four overs in the first innings cost 22!
Runs had to come quickly for Ireland on the third day. In 67 minutes 53 were added of which Anderson made 37. Owen bowled at the time at the Sunday's Well and it was soon obvious that a "spot" had developed on the pitch which made the ball jump every so often. Owen took three of the wickets that fell. After putting on 76 with Anderson, Harte (26) lobbed to extra cover with the total at 155; at 161 Monteith, two, was caught at the wicket slashing at a wide ball; Corlett was LBW in the same over - given out after a very long delay. At 170 Halliday played french cricket and lobbed barely to short-leg. In the next 30 minutes Elder only faced 10 balls while Anderson made 21 out of 30 before the declaration. Anderson was left 89 not out, the century would have been his sixth and his first in Ireland. He faced 123 deliveries, hit 13 fours and was in for 148 minutes. Monteith had to declare as rain was always possible on an overcast day. Owen took 3-31 in 13 overs. The Irish scoring rate was 3.3 runs per over.
Wales set off to score 240 runs in 221 minutes +20 overs. Jones had hurt his hand and Hopkins, on a pair, opened with Ambrose. He only avoided the pair after 33 minutes and five appeals! By lunch Wales were 25-2. At three, Ambrose, then one, was caught at slip off Elder who changed ends after one over and took the wicket with the first ball at the Sunday's Well end. Hopkins, also one, was dismissed with the total on 25, LBW to Corlett, and this brought the lunch interval. In the next session Wales were all out for 104, the tea interval being delayed until the end of the match by the fall of the ninth wicket 1 minutes before the scheduled tea break. At one stage Wales were 58-7. At 26 Corlett bowled Hall, 14, - the end of the pre-lunch over in which Hopkins had been LBW. In his next over Corlett bowled Samuel, 0. Jones expected one to jump from Elder. It didn't and he was caught at short leg. 29-5-0. Elder bowled Bell at 39. Edwards, at number eight, now gave the best display of batting. Monteith came on at 51 and Halliday at 54. In his second over Monteith got one to turn and Ellis was caught at slip. 58-7-21. Edwards and Carey then had a stand lasting 46 minutes and adding 39 runs. Elder came back for Halliday to exploit the wicket. In three overs Carey hit him for four fours and was then caught at short-leg. In all he hit a six and four fours in his 24. Halliday replaced Monteith who proceeded to drop Britten off Halliday at mid-off. At 103 Elder bowled Britten. Corlett came back for Halliday and had Owen LBW first ball - the 10th LBW in 38 wickets. The match ended with 34 minutes and 20 overs to spare. Elder had 5-45 in his 21 overs.