Georgina Dempsey grabbed two wickets and held a stunning catch on the boundary as Ireland battled hard against T20 world champions Australia in County Tyrone last night before succumbing to an inevitable defeat by 63 runs.

While there is a gulf between the two sides in terms of ability, experience and professionalism, Ireland showed the gap is closing in some areas and even outscored their illustrious opponents in the powerplay at the Bready CC ground.

Dempsey was partly responsible, bowling two tight overs and having Alyssa Healy lbw, and after Australia had motored away through the middle overs she leapt high at deep backward square to catch top scorer Meg Lanning for 74.

Ireland started brightly in pursuit of the visitors’ 182-4 with Orla Prendergast hitting 25 from 22 balls, including four boundaries, and after six overs the home side had 42-2 on the board, compared to the world champions’ 39-2 at the same stage.

The margin was wider by the end of the seventh but progress slowed when Prendergast was bowled and despite cameos from Laura Delany and Mary Waldron the Girls in Green had to settle for 119-7.

Meanwhile, after running New Zealand close in four of five encounters this month. Ireland men have a final chance to record a first victory over the Black Caps when their three-match T20 series concludes in Belfast this evening. (FRI)

“Results-wise, it's been a bit disappointing,” wicketkeeper Lorcan Tucker said. “New Zealand have played some good cricket and at times we haven't performed as well as we would have liked.

“It's important for us to look at what high-quality opposition do in certain scenarios and New Zealand have shown us areas where we can improve. Their clarity and execution of skills has given us new ideas and ways of playing.”