Day 1 A maiden century by John Anderson gave Ireland the perfect start to their Intercontinental Cup game against the Netherlands in Deventer, where a maximum points victory will confirm their place in the five-day final at the end of the year.

But a superb bowling performance by 15 year old Daniel Doram, who took five wickets on his debut, hauled the Dutch back into the contest and they need 333 to claim the first innings lead.

John Anderson plays through point

The home team bowled 78 overs of spin on a breakneck day where an incredible 115 overs were bowled - the minimum number required is 96 - and, at times, the speed at which they bowled their overs, seemed to hurry the batsmen into mistakes

Anderson, though, was patience personified. He batted for all but 50 minutes of the day, facing 310 balls, only seven of which went to the boundary, but he scored 127, just 53 less than his total aggregate in the previous seven innings of his Ireland career. The Merrion skipper was content to wait for the bad balls, with the majority of his runs coming off the back foot from short deliveries.

That was the feature of the entire innings and the Dutch didn't help themselves with a number of dropped catches littering their fielding display. Anderson was missed on 97, a high chance at slip and 14 runs later at short extra cover.

James Shannon drives straight

John Mooney was dropped at the wicket on 39 and the extra 45 runs added after that life could yet be crucial in deciding the vital first innings points.

Mooney, playing only his second match of the summer, went on to reach his first 50 in Ireland colours for two years and he was last man out, the ninth player to be dismissed by the turning ball.

Ireland, though, will have slept easily overnight because in George Dockrell they have the best slow bowler in the match and when Pieter Seelaar turned one past Anderson's bat in only the 24th over, the Somerset professional was licking his fingers.

Tom Cooper had already taken the first wicket of the day, with Andrew Balbirnie fatally back rather than forward, but the turn had nothing to do with James Shannon's dismissal, a howler of a decision when it seemed only the umpire missed the huge inside edge onto his pads. But, long-term it could be a very significant wicket for Dutch cricket - it was slow left armer Doram's first.

Andrew White was almost as unlucky, trapped in front by a ball that kept low, but Kevin O'Brien then upped the tempo scoring his first 36 at a run-a-ball before losing the strike - he faced just nine balls in the next eight overs - and the momentum was lost. He was duly caught at slip off Doram, with a half-century for the taking.

Stuart Poynter played the worst shot of the day, a horrible cross-bat to the last ball before tea, but Mooney and Anderson brought up the third 50-runs partnership of the innings. Not one made it to three figures, though, which was the biggest disappointment for Ireland.

After Anderson was caught at short leg, Doram took the next three wickets, including Dockrell first ball to give him his historic five-for. Ireland will be hoping it is his victim, though, who has the last say in this match.

Day 2

Rain was the only threat to an Ireland victory in Deventer as they gained almost total control of their Intercontinental Cup game against the Netherlands.

At halfway in the four-day match, Ireland's 252 run lead - worth at least 300 on the big ground and slow outfield - with six second innings wickets standing. The forecast is for rain today, although how much was uncertain, but Ireland were so confident of having enough time that they turned down the option of enforcing the follow-on.

An edge for Szwarczynski

They dismissed the Dutch for 148, for a lead of 184, and wary of batting last on a turning track, Ireland opted to bat the home side out of the game. The difficulty of batting was highlighted by Ireland's performance in the final session when they could score at only two runs an over and lost four wickets, three of them to spin. Ireland's premier slow bowler, George Dockrell, who was the leading wicket-taker in the Netherlands' first innings, will be expected to add substantially to his current tally of three.

Andrew Balbirnie was the surprise choice as Ireland's second spin bowler, ahead of Andrew White, but he justified his captain's faith, taking a first wicket for Ireland with his second ball. He bowled only four overs but it can safely be said that Dockrell will receive rather more slow bowling support in the second innings.

All six Ireland bowlers got among the wickets, with John Mooney making the breakthrough, Trent Johnston was unlucky to get only one and Stuart Thompson struck with his first ball and went on to bowl an economical 10 overs. Max Sorensen had the longest to wait, but he was too hot to handle for the Netherlands' tail.

Tom Cooper provided the only serious Dutch resistance, scoring 51 - no-one else bettered 20 - from 128 balls but, significantly, Dockrell ended his innings with the help of a smart stumping by Stuart Poynter.

Balbirnie fell in the second over when Ireland batted again, caught at slip, but first innings century-maker John Anderson and James Shannon dug in, taking time out of the match but also any possibility of a Dutch victory.

Shannon may have had no luck on Monday, with a horror decision, but second time around he was dropped twice before giving it away on 31, hitting a full toss straight to extra cover. The Instonians batsman had already lost Anderson, lbw sweeping and Kevin O'Brien would also fall before the close, edging a sharply turning ball to the wicket-keeper.

But with a place in a fourth Intercontinental Cup final as the prize for the winning the match, captain O'Brien did not look unduly worried as he headed back to the dressing room. As long as he doesn't have to spend too much longer in it over the next couple of days, it should be job done, Dubai here we come.

Day 3

The rain arrived in Deventer at six o'clock but it was late to prevent Ireland beating the Netherlands in three days and confirming their place in the Intercontinental Cup final in December. It will be their fourth final; they have won the previous three.

Yet, the mood in the immediate aftermath of their emphatic 279 runs victory was subdued rather than celebratory. With the result being inevitable at the end of second day, it was a case of getting the job done and then starting the preparation for the even bigger games next week, when two more wins against the Dutch will send them to Australasia for the 2015 ICC World Cup finals.

Ireland won this four-day game not only with a day to spare but without calling up either Niall O'Brien or Ed Joyce, two of their top batsmen who are not involved in this week's Twenty20 county action. National Coach Phil Simmons predicted he wouldn't need them and he was, emphatically, proven correct.

Stuart Poynter drives through point

The one county player who was selected was Ireland's match-winner. If a 15 year old slow left armer could take five Ireland wickets in the first innings, then "old-hand' George Dockrell - he turns 21 later this month - surely could do even better in the fourth innings on a turning pitch. He did not disappoint.

The Somerset professional, already playing his 83rd international, took his first six-wicket haul for Ireland and the third of his first-class career to bowl out the Netherlands inside 45 overs, for 127. As Dockrell admitted, it is a pitch he would love to pack up and carry round with him.

"It spun pretty big from day one, so that's the ideal pitch you want to rock up to, especially in a four-dayer. It certainly aided me. The pace was key," he said. If you bowled slowly the batsmen could adapt so I probably didn't bowl as well in the first innings but I bowled quicker in the second innings, got sharper spin and that paid off.

Peter Borren hits Mooney

"Credit though to Max Sorensen for his opening spell. You can't underestimate how good that was. Their seamers didn't make a dent in our batting and the fact that he had taken out the top three when I came on, made it easier to go through the middle order.

"Now I'm really excited about playing in my first I-Cup final. I've never played a five-day game before so hopefully I will get plenty of overs!"

He needed only 13.2 overs to take his second "six-for' of the season, which only underlined the gulf in class between the teams. Ireland batted 198 overs in the match and although they lost eight wickets yesterday before the declaration, seven minutes after lunch, by that stage the Ireland batsmen were just trying to improve their averages.

It is now six years since Ireland have lost to the Netherlands and with the big guns arriving, it will be a major surprise if that run is not extended by two more games in the ODIS next week.