This was Ireland's last match in Section A against Denmark. If Ireland won, or there is a "no result" Ireland win the section and, in the semi finals, play the second placed team in the other section. If Ireland lost to Denmark they would still contest the semi finals unless Bermuda beat the United States of America (a likely result). In that event there would be a triple tie at the top - three teams with seven points each. Net Run Rate would then decide placings. Ireland were comfortably ahead on this and would have to lose by a huge margin to Denmark (about 100 runs if Denmark were to bat first) to lose the top place. Indeed Bermuda would also have to win by a large margin also for Ireland to lose a qualifying place for the top 4 play offs. So already it can be said with reasonable certainty that Ireland will be a semi finalist and have booked a place in the World Cup finals in the West Indies in the Spring of 2007. This was Ireland's fourth attempt to qualify for the World Cup and they should have done so at the second attempt in Kuala Lumpur in 1997.

At the fourth attempt Ireland reached the World Cup Finals, this time those to be played in the West Indies in the Spring of 2007. It was a great day for all and in particular WK McCallan (whose third ICC Trophy this was and who on this day became the most capped Irish player of all time) and for PG Gillespie playing in his second ICC Trophy (first in 1997 and having missed that of 2001). Those of the present squad who were in Toronto, as well as McCallan (who was captain) were the Joyce brothers, McCoubrey, Molins, Mooney and White.

The win today against Denmark gave Ireland four wins out of five (the other rained off) and they topped their section leading to a semi-final against Canada at Castle Avenue, Dublin, on Saturday July 9th. Regardless of results from now on Ireland will be in the West Indies in 2007 together with Scotland, Canada and Bermuda. Contesting the fifth place for ICC Associates in Dublin will be Holland, United Arab Emirates, Denmark and Namibia. Holland won the trophy in 2001 beating Namibia in the Final.

The match against Denmark turned out to be an easy victory which, it must be said, was anticipated. Ireland had beaten Denmark twice in 2003 (in Dublin) and once in 2004 (in Holland). All three wins had been by large margins.

Ireland won the toss and batted first on a cloudy wet day. It drizzled all the time during the second half of the Irish innings. There was a view which said "field first". This in case Denmark not alone beat Ireland but toppled them into third place in the Section on Net Run Rate. As it transpired Denmark, batting second, would have to get the winning score of 223 in 29.2 overs to achieve that. They never tried. Morgan had a back problem and was replaced by D Joyce in the only Irish change. Denmark were unfortunate in that Amjad Khan (Kent) never got to Ireland due to injury (though he was able to play for Kent during the course of the tournament) and Klokker, Denmark's leading batsman, had to go to Warwickshire for trials in the hope of getting a career in county cricket. The pitch was hard and beige coloured with no trace of moisture.

Ireland had their usual poor start (28 for three). In fact the top three batsmen, Molins, Bray and Botha, had now accumulated only 125 runs in 12 innings between them. Once again the middle and lower order had to redeem the top three. Once again they did so to the tune of an all out score of 222. This was Ireland's 600th match since the first, a victory over the Gentlemen of England in 1855. Also there was the landmark of WK McCallan's 122nd cap, passing the record previously held at 121 by D.A.Lewis. Dom Joyce was gaining his 50th cap. He will remember the day as he scored exactly 50 in only 37 balls, 34 of his runs coming in boundaries. He was rightly given the Man-of-the-Match award.

Molins and Bray began to the bowling of T.Hansen (left arm) and H.Hansen. Both were medium paced with a little outswing. In no time H.Hansen had two wickets and T. one. In the fourth over H Hansen had Molins caught at the wicket playing back with no great determination. 11-1-2. Next over Botha glanced T Hansen down the leg side and wicket keeper Singh caught it wide to his right. 16-2-0. Bray was joined by EC Joyce. Bray hit a four to extra-cover in the sixth over and in the first seven overs there were 12 extras (mostly wides). Kopperholdt, making his Denmark debut, and another medium pacer, came on for T Hansen (ninth over). In the 10th (H.Hansen) Bray was out caught at deep gully chest high failing to cut downwards. 28-3-12.

Gillespie joined Joyce and their stand stabilised the innings. Joyce got going in the 11th over, hitting Kopperholdt for an uppish four past mid-on. Next over he took 14 off H Hansen. A four was a near catch to mid-wicket and the last ball went for six to the same area. 50 arrived in over 13. Borchersen replaced H Hansen for over 14 and Gillespie, who was being careful, played a maiden - the only one of the innings. Joyce forged ahead with fours off Kopperholdt (to mid wicket) and Borchersen (extra-cover). The 20th over (Borchersen) was expensive. It cost 17 with fours to both batsmen and a six to Joyce over long-on. The 20 over score was 87.

RJA Malcolm-Hansen (off spin) replaced Borchersen for over 22 and was very steady to start with - bowling mainly to Gillespie. 100 came in over 23. In over 25 (Kopperholdt) Joyce pulled a four to go to 52 off 50 balls. The half way score was 110. The next few overs were "quiet". Chawla (leg spin and well known to the Irish) appeared for over 29. The 30 over score was 123. His second over (31st) accounted for Joyce, after he had missed a difficult caught and bowled from Gillespie (when 20) in his first. Joyce went for a six over mid wicket from the first ball of Chawla's second over. He failed to carry the fielder (the debutant Kopperholdt) who made a good catch. 123-4-60. Joyce faced 69 balls with two sixes and six fours. The stand of 95 occupied just over 20 overs and brought about the needed recovery. Johnston came in and got the strike for the fifth ball of Chawla's over. It turned, took the edge, and Johnston was caught at the wicket. 124-5-0.

White and Gillespie went carefully against the two spinners in a stand of 27 in just over eight overs. The 35 over score (in which White reverse swept a four) was 132. With rain now falling Gillespie hit two fours (one a snick) but White got out to Malcolm-Hansen in his 10th and last over (the 40th). He was bowled attempting a sweep. 151-6-11. D Joyce came in and hit two successive fours at once. The, first ball of Chawla's next over, (the 41st), Gillespie was caught at short square leg. His 40 in 90 balls was invaluable in its support for Ed Joyce. 161-7-40. With 10 overs to go 161 was not enough but Joyce, in particular, well supported by McCallan, saw to it that the necessary runs were made. McCallan on drove a four off his second ball. Then, in over 43 from Chawla, Joyce hit a six over square leg and a four to mid wicket. The 43 over score was 180.

Although Joyce hit a four to extra cover in over 44 (off Borchersen who had returned for Malcolm-Hansen) only 13 runs came in three overs. Chawla was, surprisingly, not allowed to bowl his 10th over, being replaced by opening bowler T Hansen for over 47. This over cost 12 and brought 200 up. Joyce drove a four to long-on and McCallan came down the pitch and hit a four to long-off. Then in over 48, McCallan got out to Borchersen. He missed a full toss and was out to a leg side stumping after the wicket keeper dropped the ball but scooped it from the ground on to the wicket. 210-8-13. The 48 over score was 211. This increased to 219 after over 49 in which Joyce hit a four to mid-wicket. The last over was bowled by Borchersen. A two to long-on gave Joyce a 50. Next ball, attempting a leg hit off a full length ball, Joyce was bowled. He faced only 37 balls for his 50 with one six and seven fours. While he was in his partners faced 24 balls and 70 runs were scored. It was his ninth half century in 48 innings. 221-9-50. McCoubrey got a single but Mooney was bowled by the fourth ball of the last over, only the second time Ireland had been bowled out in nine innings in 2005.

Kopperholdt bowled his 10 overs for 37 (no wicket) and Malcolm-Hansen did better with 10 overs for 30 (one wicket). The main wicket takers were Borchersen and Chawla who both took three wickets for 42. With some trepidation Ireland went out to field at 3 p.m. with the rain more or less stopped. Would Denmark try for 223 in 29.2 overs to not alone win but topple Ireland off the top of the table or would they just concentrate on the win? They knew Bermuda had made 311 v U.S.A. and if Bermuda won (which seemed likely) by a wide margin then Denmark would be in third place. The 29.2 over gamble seemed worth it but was not tried.

Three wickets fell in the first eight overs for only 32 runs. R.Ali, in the second over, Mooney's first, went after a wide ball and was caught by Bray. 3-1-0. C.Pedesen, the captain, got out in the fifth over. He nibbled at Johnston and he, too, was caught at the wicket. 14-2-0. A.Ahmed, a man who had caused Ireland problems in the past, was next in and next out. In Mooney's fourth over (the eighth) he gave Bray a hat trick of catches. The ball cut away and Ahmed snicked it. 32-3-4. Wicket-keeper Singh had got 20 of these runs. He was playing well and had hit two fours in one over off Mooney. Malcolm-Hansen was next. The longest stand of the innings followed, 37 runs in just more than 10 overs. McCoubrey bowled three overs instead of Johnston. Botha had one over after Mooney had bowled six (two for 22). Mooney went off with a damaged hand, probably done hitting the stumps when bowling. Shoukat came on to field. 50 was up in over 12 and by over 17 the spinners, McCallan, and White, were bowling in tandem. McCallan struck with the last ball of his second over. This was Malcolm-Hansen, who had given a very difficult caught and bowled chance to White in the previous over. He was bowled pushing out at McCallan. 69-4-21.

T Hansen, at number six, only got eight in a stand of 27 in six overs. The 20th over was a maiden to Singh after which the score was 74. Then Singh hooked White for a six to backward square-leg, and, in the 24th over, took a four to square leg off McCallan to bring up his 50 at 96 from 79 balls. Botha had come back for White and got T Hansen in over 25. The ball drifted away from Hansen and Bray took his fourth catch. 96-5-8. With the left-handed M Pedersen in 100 came up in over 26. After 29.2 overs, the mark by which Denmark had to win if Ireland were to be ousted on Net Run Rate, the score was 115 so Ireland was guaranteed a place in the semi finals whatever happened from now on. The 30 over score was 115, the 30th being a maiden. Denmark now needed 108 in 20 overs, but had five wickets down.

Then, in over 35, all hope vanished for Denmark. Johnston came back for Botha - the change had probably been made because Pedersen hit Botha for two fours in his seventh over. Singh mis-drove Johnston's second ball to cover where EC Joyce took a comfortable overhead catch two handed. Singh's 58 came in 131 balls. He hit a six (the only one of the innings) and six fours (out of 12 scored in the innings). Singh had made sure that Denmark had a respectable total and there were only two other double figure scores - Malcolm-Hansen's 21 and M Pedersen's 19. Chawla scored six off the remainder of Johnston's over but was caught and bowled by White in the next (35th). 138-7-6. It was a lobbed catch to White's right. White had come on after McCallan had bowled his 10 overs with figures of 10-4-23-1.

Borchersen now came in and was caught at backward square-leg by Botha off White in over 38. 145-8-3. M Pedersen was lbw to Johnston in over 39 (146-9-19) and, in over 40, H Hansen repeated Chawla's dismissal being caught and bowled by White - again an easy catch. Denmark were all out for 149. There were 10.3 overs left when Ireland won by 73 runs, and celebrations began.

All the bowlers did well. Only Johnston was mildly expensive, 39 runs in eight overs, but he did take three wickets. White also took three wickets in 5.3 overs for only 17 runs. The fielding was keen.