A remarkable, indeed extraordinary, match in which there was an aggregate of 699 scored in 93.2 overs and Ireland won the seventh successive match (a record) and eighth in all in the season. Records flowed and will be dealt with as they occurred. On a burnt fast outfield, with an upslope to the pavilion similar to Waringstown, 90 boundaries were struck by the two teams which was 58% of the 699 runs. The pitch was very hard with a slight touch of green. In the opening overs it seemed bowler friendly but this was an illusion.
Gerald Dros came into Ireland's team as an allowed unqualified player. He is Cliftonville's professional from South Africa and had filled a similar role for Ireland in three matches in 1999 in which he made one 50. He replaced Coetzee. O'Brien's thumb had not cleared up so Bushe remained as wicket-keeper. Of the 12 who travelled John Mooney was left out. McCallan became the fifth player to reach 100 caps and was presented with a glass bowl. David Ward, who had captained MCC in Cork in 2002, was the Hertfordshire (Herts) Capt who won the toss and send Ireland in. He must have regretted it!
In a hazy sun with a slight breeze Molins and Bray got underway to the brisk bowling of Walker and Gary Butcher, brother of test player Mark. Both bowlers were quickish. Botha moved the ball away off the seam and there was good bounce in the pitch. The first and third overs from Walker were maidens, the only two such in the innings. 15 were up in five overs, and then the game woke up! Molins hit three successive fours off Butcher, a square cut, a square drive and a clip to square leg, resulting in 15 coming off the over. The next ball, from Walker, cut back at Bray as he drove at it. It bowled him. 30-1-9. Botha came in and hit the last two balls of this over for four, one over cover and the next, a full toss, to extra cover.
Molins had strike for the next two overs. He brought his four count to seven in 31 runs and 50 came up in over nine. Then Botha got the strike for two overs. He square cut two fours off Butcher. Then, for over 11, Frazer, an off spinner, came on. Botha hit a straight six followed by a square drive for four. In Frazer's second and last over Botha hit a six to mid-wicket and late cut a four. The two Frazer overs cost 24. 10 runs in over 14 brought the score to 102. Skeggs, a medium pacer, replaced Frazer and his first over cost 15, including a wide that went to the boundary. In this over, also, Molins beat Botha to 50. Molins got there in 51 balls in over 15. Botha had to wait until over 17 but he only faced 28 balls. He went from 48 to 52 with his eighth four to add to two sixes.
White, another medium pacer, had replaced Butcher and did quite well. So well, in fact, that he was allowed to bowl out his 10 overs for 55 runs and, eventually, in his seventh over, the wicket of Molins. Despite this scoring never really slowed down. The 100 partnership, begun in over seven, was reached in over 18. In over 21 Botha hit a six over wide long-on and, with the last ball of this over, 150 was up.
At the 25 overs mark the score was 177. Molins did not last much longer. Murch, an Australian and Herts unqualified player, replaced Skeggs, 0 for 52 in six overs, but it was White who took the wicket. In over 28 Molins pulled White to deep square leg where Walker took a great catch having had to run and dive to his right. 187-2-84. Molins faced 88 balls and hit 13 fours. The 157 run stand came in 21 overs. It was the best Irish stand for any wicket in the Gillette / Nat West / Cheltenham and Gloucester matches begun in 1980 and the third best for the second wicket for Ireland in any limited overs match. These 157 runs came at 7.47 runs per over. As events unfolded in this innings if Molins had scored 16 more runs Ireland would have had three century makers in the innings, a feat never before achieved.
Dros now joined Botha. Calling and chat was now in Afrikaans which led David Ward, the Herts captain, to plead with his team to "get a Paddy in". The rate increased in the third wicket stand but only marginally to 8.11 runs per over! Dros hit his second ball to extra cover for four to get off the mark. At the end of the 30th over 201 was up so 400 was predicted although to score 200 in 20 overs seemed to be remote. In fact, 200 was only 14 runs more than what was achieved. By over 35 the score was 238. Dros hit five fours and by now Botha was 96. He had, not unreasonably, slowed through the 90s, having been 92 in over 31. Dros had what seemed a life in over 34, White's last. Dros was 26 and the score 230 when he seemed to be out caught at the wicket but given not out by the Dutch Umpire.
In over 38, with Butcher back on, Botha went to 100 with a single. He had faced 86 balls and had hit three sixes and 11 fours in a masterful display of aggression. Soon he was back into boundary play. Two fours came in over 40, and now 270 was up, and, next over, Murch went for four on an on drive and, next ball, a six over mid-wicket. Dros got his 50 in over 42 having faced 50 balls. 300 came up in over 42. Skeggs came back for Butcher, who had bowled his 10 overs for 70, and Dros hit him for three sixes over mid-wicket, two off successive balls. Another six to Dros over long-on off Skeggs brought the 45 overs score to 333, which meant 63 had been scored in five overs.
For the 46th over Walker came back for Skeggs, whose two overs had cost 31, and with his first ball got Botha who skied to deep point on the boundary. 333-3-139. 139 is the highest score in any limited overs match by Ireland, exceeding Alan Lewis's 127* against Gibraltar in Kuala Lumpur in 1997. Botha faced 110 balls and hit four sixes and 16 fours in his stay of 164 minutes, extending over 39 overs. The stand of 146 for the third wicket was Ireland's best in limited overs cricket, beating the Joyce brothers stand of 145 for that wicket against UAE in Toronto in 2001.
Gillespie came and faced only nine balls out of a possible 29 so that Dros could try for a century. He was 77 when Botha was out. Ironically he was assisted to this mark by being speared on the toe which made running difficult. The toe was, in fact, broken and he was unable to field, or indeed bowl, in the Herts innings. He faced 20 balls of the remaining 29 and made no less than 47 more runs! He began the assault in the 47th over against the seventh bowler used by Herts, Fletcher. He took 12 runs off this over including two fours, a flip to fine leg and a drive over extra cover. He was now 91.
The 48th over, Walker, produced only four runs, one of them to Dros. Now he was 92. Fletcher's second over gave Dros 4-2-4-4 off successive balls after a near miss of being bowled. The second four in this over, a cover drive, carried Dros to 102 off 75 balls. Then came the last over, bowled by Walker. Gillespie took a single off the second ball. Dros then hit three successive sixes. Two were over mid-wicket, the third over wide mid-off. An attempt at a fourth six off the last ball resulted in a catch to mid-wicket. It was a wondrous display. He was in for 96 minutes, faced 81 balls in 23 overs, and hit seven sixes and 11 fours, giving him 86 runs in boundaries.
Dros' was the 82nd century scored for Ireland, Botha's being the 81st. The last time two centuries were scored in one innings was in the three-day match against Scotland at Hamilton Crescent, Glasgow in 1994 by Alan Lewis and Garfield Harrison. It had never been done in a limited overs match. Ireland's boundary count overall was 11 sixes and 41 fours, a total of 230 runs in boundaries, constituting 59% of the 387 run total. The last 10 overs yielded 117 runs, 76 of them to Dros.
387 for four was unique for Ireland in a limited overs match, the best previously been 311 for five against Wales at Titwood, Glasgow in a Triple Crown match in 1994. It was the highest Irish score for 80 years. 418 were scored in the three-day match against Wales at Cardiff in 1923.
The Herts bowling figures were a sorry sight as Ireland's run rate was 7.74 runs per over. The worst was Butcher's 0 for 70 in 10 overs. The best was Walker who took three of the four wickets to fall for 49 runs in eight overs.
If Herts were to have a chance of overhauling 387 runs in 50 overs, they would have to "go" and strike from the start. They could not afford to be, say, 40 runs in 10 overs. They will also have to hope that luck would go with them and that they could preserve their wickets. They achieved the first objective but not the second. When the 15 overs of restricted field placings had been bowled, Herts were no less than 138 runs (rate of 9.2 runs per over) but had lost five wickets. The sixth wicket then put on 116 runs in 117 balls. When Butcher was out after 34.3 overs the rate had fallen to 7.36.
Frazer and Walker opened for Herts and Mooney's first over cost 18. Frazer hit two fours and a six over long-off. Then Eagleson took a wicket with his second ball, Walker skied to Paul Mooney at wide third man. 18-1-1. Ward came next and he was a well-known quick scorer in his Surrey days. He started with a four. Frazer continued the assault on Mooney. He leapt down the pitch for a four to extra cover followed by a big "flash" to backward cover. The next ball had Frazer mishooking and Eagleson ran to his left for a good catch at square leg. 31-2-24. Of the 24, 18 came in boundaries.
Butcher came in to join Ward in a 44 run stand off 25 balls. 38 of these runs came in boundaries including a six by Butcher over wide extra cover. After five overs the score was 54! Then Ward got out. He pushed a fairly gentle catch to John Mooney (who was feeling as substitute for Dros) at mid-on off the first ball of the eighth over, bowled by Eagleson. 75-3-25. At this stage only 43 balls had been bowled! Lewis arrived and must have very nearly been lbw first ball. However, he did not last long. Butcher continued his spate of fours, getting three more in Eagleson's fifth and last over of this spell. His figures at the end of the spell were two for 39. Botha had replaced Mooney (who had one for 52 in four overs!) and in his second over he caught and bowled Lewis. 98-4-4. The over was a maiden, the only one of the innings.
Murch, the Australian unqualified player, was next. Mooney changed ends to replace Eagleson. Murch hit him for six over long-on to bring up 100 in over 12. In the next two overs there were two near run outs, one of which spectators claimed was out, and Butcher went to 53 with a four when the score was 124 in over 14. He had faced 29 balls and hit nine fours. In Botha's fourth over Murch hit boundaries to wide mid-on and wide mid-wicket and then got out. He was lbw to the last ball. He moved right in front and missed his shot. This was the last ball of the 15th over. 138-5-24.
Cordingley joined Butcher and now field placings were relaxed. White, for over 16, and McCallan, for over 19, came on. Scoring slowed from the breakneck speed of the first 15 overs. In his spell of seven overs White went for 35 runs while McCallan conceded 52 in eight. Neither took a wicket as Butcher and Cordingley progressed.
The 20 overs score was 163. At 25 overs it was 188. So 200 were needed in the final 25 overs and the rate was eight per over, which it had been, roughly, at the start, but now five wickets were down. In White's last over Butcher, with a late cut four, his 14th, went to 103 and brought up 200 in the 28th over. He had faced 72 balls, the quickest of the three centuries in the match. Morgan, a sixth bowler, came on for White, a surprise move, for the 30th over. Seven runs came from this over so the score was 216 after 30 overs. If the usual theory of doubling the 30 overs score held good, Herts would win.
In the last over of McCallan's spell, the 33rd, Cordingley hit a straight six to bring up a 100 stand for the sixth wicket off 103 balls. There were now worried faces among the Irish. Rescue was at hand. Botha, for the 35th over, returned for McCallan. Butcher tried to cut his third ball, missed and was bowled. 254-6-126. Butcher faced 92 balls with a six and 17 fours and had been in for 31 overs. The 116 run stand with Cordingley, a record for the sixth wicket in Gillette/Nat West/Cheltenham and Gloucester against Ireland, came from 117 balls. The danger, it seemed, was past with 134 still needed from 93 balls. Much more so when Botha bowled newcomer Skeggs in his next over. 262-7-3.
It had already begun to drizzle when Fletcher joined Cordingley. Fletcher glanced a four in this Botha over and Cordingley reached 50 when the score reached 265. His 50 came off 61 balls but only had one four in it to add to his six. The rain grew heavier as Morgan began his fifth over, the 38th. Fletcher glanced, late cut and snicked three fours but after five balls were bowled play was halted because of the rain and did not resume. 37.5 overs had been bowled and the score was 283 for seven. Fletcher was 18 and Cordingley 50. It was 5:30 p.m. Should there be no further play on the next day Ireland were ahead on simple run rate (as the regulations were) by 10 runs.
There was play on the next day and it had started on time at 10:45 a.m. The innings lasted a further 5.3 overs. Morgan bowled the one remaining ball of his fifth over for a single to Fletcher. Mooney started at the other end and with one wicket for 72 runs in six overs to his name. His first over give up two singles. Eagleson took over from Morgan and eight runs came from the 40th over. 94 runs were now required in 10 overs.
It was all over in 20 more balls. Mooney bowled Fletcher in the 41st over as he pulled across the ball and repeated this feat on White in the 43rd over. In the next over Cordingley tried to pull Eagleson and gave a catch to McCallan back pedalling at mid-wicket. 312 was the final score and produced an Irish win by 75 runs.
Herts had hit four sixes and 34 fours, 160 in boundaries or 51% of their total of 312. The overall run rate of the two teams was 7.5 runs per over and it was a wonderful batting exhibition to watch. The Irish captain, Molins, did not field on this morning. He claimed he had to return to London to work. What would he have done if he had to bat? The Irish coach, Adrian Birrell, fielded for Molins with the permission of Herts, which was very generous of them. Botha, for his 139 runs and four wickets for 37, got the Man-of-the-Match Award of £200 Sterling decided by the umpires.
It must be said that, despite the figures, Ireland's bowling was not bad. It simply was that Herts had to risk all from the very start and taking five wickets in the first 15 overs proved that Herts could not get away with such a speed of scoring. Mooney rescued his analysis on the second morning to finish with three for 81 in nine overs, the worst rate of the six bowlers. Eagleson took three for 56 in 7.2 overs. Botha's two spells produced the best analysis, four for 37 in seven overs, three overs having been kept for "finish" bowling if necessary. In 2001 Botha had won a previous award in this Competition with 75 and three for 30 against Hampshire Board at the Rose Bowl in Southampton.
This result ensures a home draw against a first-class County in 2004.
This match was the seventh to be won in succession, now a new record by two (see CCC match at Shenley). Eight wins in the 2003 season has also now been achieved. The record is nine, out of 21 played, in the 1997 season. The eight wins of 2003 is, currently, out of 12 matches played.