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Ireland will now move on to Harare to play the USA on Friday in the seventh-place playoff semi-final.

ICC World Cup Qualifying
Result-
Ireland 349-4 (50 overs): Stirling 162, Balbirnie 66, Tector 57; Sharma 3-46
United Arab Emirates 211 all out (39 overs): Muhammad 45, Sharma 44; Campher 2-14, Little 2-30, Dockrell 2-32, McBrine 2-34
Ireland won by 138 runs

A welcome return to form for most of the players after some horrid performances in recent games. Yes, Ireland never achieved their target in Zimbabwe, but don't dwell too much in the past as there were some positives, in particular, captain Andrew Bilbirnie after a series of poor scores. Balbirnie, Tector and Paul Stirling were the batting stars. Stirling led from the front, as usual, but we often wonder how could he score more if he was less impetuous. Of course, that's his style which has placed him as one of the greatest attacking opener in the world in the short game. There are not many Ireland players in that category!
Ironically, if Ireland had beaten Oman they would have reached the next level. However, that's now history.
Ireland has a busy season, but we hope they learn from their mistakes. Nobody should be excluded from the review and includes team selection, captaincy, coaches, selectors and the hierarchy. Let's be honest, they should and could, have achieved more in the past few weeks.
The impetus of Ireland's achievements over the past few decades has been dented. Associate members are rising and Ireland need to react. West Indies cricket lost the plot 30 years ago and have struggled thereafter. There are plenty of warning signs!

Hi folks glendermott cc Londonderry are looking to bring there u11s & u13s to play a friendly on fri 28th July as a warm up for our world cup in the nwcu ...We are willing to travel & would be grateful if any club could facilitie us ....

Yours in sport
Fred Simpson
Glendermott cricket club

ST LUCIA – A gutsy display by Ireland Women in the first one-day international (ODI) against West Indies may ultimately have ended in defeat, but not before the Girls in Green showed their hosts that they were up for the contest on this six-match tour.
Cara Murray (3-60) provided impetus to an Irish fightback with the ball, while a magnificent 83 to opener Gaby Lewis – supported by skipper Laura Delany (40) and Orla Prendergast (37) - had Ireland Women keeping the required run rate manageable at the halfway stage of the run chase.
After losing the toss and being asked to bowl first, Ava Canning – on ODI debut – looked dangerous early with her renowned swing,
however, it was Sophie MacMahon who made the first breakthrough with an inswinger that bamboozled Zaida James (13) and trapped the left-hander in front.
At 36-1 in the 10th over, the Irish sensed early nervousness in their opponents – but that hope was soon crushed by a dominant 156-run second-wicket partnership between West Indies captain Hayley Matthews (109) and Stefanie Taylor (55). The runs came from just 153 balls as the two experienced batters hit to all parts of the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground
Murray’s first wicket led to a mini top-order collapse, the West Indies losing 3-6 in 15 balls, but a counter-attacking 53* from 37 balls by Chinelle Henry saw the Caribbean side post 297-6 from their 50 overs.
In the reply, Lewis and Leah Paul (10) combined for a 34-run opening stand until a mix-up saw Paul caught well short of her ground. Lewis was joined by Prendergast and the pair first consolidated, and then began to build a platform for Ireland to launch their charge in the last 25 overs. Prendergast was looking to increase the run rate, but holed out at deep mid-wicket – the second-wicket partnership of 67 was important, yet the next stand of 71 between Lewis and Delany put Ireland on a credible path towards an unlikely victory.
The third-wicket stand took 83 balls, but became increasingly dangerous to the home side due mainly to the ease by which the Irish pair compiled their runs. Lewis, eyeing up her first ODI century, was caught sweeping which precipitated a middle-order collapse of 5-30.
A busy 20 to Mary Waldron and a late 13 to Sophie MacMahon pushed the Irish total to 239 – but in a moral victory for the visitors, the final pair of Murray and Canning held out for 19 balls to ensure Ireland batted out their 50 overs.
The two sides meet again on Wednesday at the same venue for the second of three ODIs.
MATCH SUMMARY
West Indies Women v Ireland Women, 1st ODI, St Lucia, 26 June 2023
West Indies 297-6 (50 overs: H Matthews 109; C Murray 3-60)
Ireland 239-9 (50 overs; G Lewis 83; H Matthews 3-53)
West Indies won by 58 runs

Sri Lanka beat Ireland

A century from Dimuth Karaunaratne, and a half-century from Sadeera Samarawickrama saw Sri Lanka effectively end Ireland Men’s dreams of involvement at the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.
Mark Adair – who took his 50th career ODI wicket when he caught and bowled Lahiru Kamara – Barry McCarthy and Gareth Delany all bowled well as Ireland bounced back well after a slow start.
Having lost their opening two matches, to Oman and Scotland, Ireland headed into this game needing a win to keep their slim hopes of reaching the Super Six stage of the competition alive, and having won the toss, Ireland captain Andrew Balbirnie sent Sri Lanka in to bat.
From the outset Sri Lanka looked dominant as they raced away to 31-0 after the first three overs. Ireland responded with back-to-back maidens from Adair and McCarthy, before the latter - playing in his first ODI since 2021 - removed both Prathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis with successive deliveries in the ninth over, Sri Lanka was then 48-2.
Karaunaratne and Samarawickrama both settled in and comfortably reached their half-centuries - Karunaratne his fifth consecutive ODI fifty in the 21st over and Samarawickrama followed up with his third ODI fifty two overs later. The pair went on to score 168 for the third wicket as Ireland couldn’t find a breakthrough with the two set batters.
The partnership was final broken when Delany removed Samarawickrama for 82, as Harry Tector grabbed the ball high in the air with the first ball of the 36th over, with Sri Lanka 216-3. Karunaratne went on to score his maiden ODI century in the 37th over with a single down to third.
Late on, Ireland’s bowlers hit back, taking 7-109 in the final 15 overs as Sri Lanka posted 325 all out.
In reply, Ireland’s response suffered from the loss of regular wickets, despite keeping up with the required run rate required.
A wonderful one-handed catch by wicket-keeper Mendis saw Paul Stirling dismissed early on, and Ireland found themselves two down in the seventh over when Andy McBrine scooped one to Kusal Rajitha in the deep. Despite the loss of those early wickets Ireland were 53-2 after 9 overs – the exact same score as Sri Lanka were at the same stage of their innings.
Andrew Balbirine (12) was trapped lbw, while Lorcan Tucker went for a duck as Ireland were 58-4 and searching for a partnership.
However, a noteworthy partnership never materialised, as Wanindu Hasaranga put on a spinners masterclass for the Sri Lankans, including taking the wicket of Tector when he was looking comfortable.
Curtis Campher continued where he left off against Scotland, hammering the ball all over the ground – scoring 39 runs – before he top-edged one to Mendis in the 20th over with Ireland 116-6 after 20 overs, with Ireland‘s world cup dreams seemingly dashed.
Quick-fire knocks from Delany and Little kept the scoreboard ticking over. Little hit a massive six off Hasaranga, but the Sri Lankan spinner got his revenge with the very next ball, as he caught and bowled Little to claim his five-wicket haul, as Ireland were bowled out for 192 with 19 overs remaining.
Ireland will play their final qualifier against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday, 27 June at 8am Ireland time.
MATCH SUMMARY
Ireland Men v Sri Lanka Men, ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier, Queen’s Sports Club, Bulawayo, 25 June 2023
Sri Lanka 325 (49.5 overs; D Karunaratne 103, S Samarawickrama 82; M Adair 4-46)
Ireland 192 (31 overs; C Campher 39, H Tector 33; W Hasaranga 5-79)
Sri Lanka won by 133 runs

Ireland lose in final ball to Scotland
A gutsy maiden ODI century by Curtis Campher wasn’t enough as Ireland Men fell to a last-ball, one-wicket loss to Scotland at the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier today.
Looking odds-on to win with ease with 10 overs left in the run-chase, Ireland’s bowlers couldn’t rein in the batting of the lower-order pair of Michael Leask (91*) and Mark Watt (47) who put on 82 for the 8th wicket. While Watt fell, Leask shepherded through the tailenders and saw Scotland through to a one-wicket, last-ball win.
Earlier in the day, Ireland’s top order failed to fire and it fell to a Curtis Campher-George Dockrell partnership to save the Irish innings and post a competitive score. Their 136-run stand came from 150 balls and rescued their side from a precarious position of 70-5 in the 19th over.
Campher started watchfully as he entered the fray with his side languishing at 33-4. He built a steadying partnership of 37 with Andy McBrine (32) before Dockrell joined him at the crease. Dockrell looked the more aggressive of the two, however, Campher was busy, working the ball and running hard – routinely turning ones into twos, and putting pressure on the fielders.
After Campher and Dockrell both brought up their half-centuries they began to up the run rate. Campher began to regularly find the boundary – and struck four maximums over the boundary – as he accelerated through the gears. His pull shot for six, followed by consecutive boundaries off Safyaan Sharif in the 43rd over signalled his intent to finish with a flourish. His first 50 runs took 68 balls, but his second 50 only took 31 balls, bringing up his first ODI century with a boundary behind square.
The loss of Dockrell for 69 did not see the run rate abate – Campher and Gareth Delany (19) combining for a quickfire 50-run partnership in just over four overs. Campher finally fell for 120 from the penultimate ball of the innings, Josh Little powered the last ball for four down the ground, and Ireland went into the break with a highly competitive 286-8.
Ireland started well with the ball, Adair removing Matthew Cross (4) in the second over. Adair soon had two wickets before Campher, never far from the action in this match, made two incisive interventions – first he trapped Chris McBride (56) in front then took a deflected catch at short third man. Four wickets fell for 32 runs, reducing Scotland to 122-6 in the 28th over.
When Watt strode to the crease Scotland was 152-7, needing 135 runs in 16 overs – in the end it came down to the last ball with Leask under-edging a boundary past wicketkeeper Lorcan Tucker’s outstretched left hand.
Ireland now has three days break until they face Sri Lanka on Sunday. While Ireland still maintains a chance of qualification, they will require favourable results elsewhere to achieve their goal.

MATCH SUMMARY
Ireland 286-8 (50 overs: C Campher 120, G Dockrell 69; B McMullen 5-34)
Scotland 289-9 (50 overs; M Leask, C McBride 56; M Adair 3-57)

Scotland won by 1 wicket

Arachas Irish Senior Cup – Semi-Final Draw

Leinster v The Hills
Waringstown v Pembroke

Arachas National Cup – Semi-Final Draw.

Derriaghy v Rush
Muckamore v Cliftonville Academy

SHOCK DEFEAT- IRELAND LOSE TO OMAN by 5 wkts

Ireland 281/7 (50 overs; George Dockrell 91*, Harry Tector 52, Lorcan Tucker 26, Bilal Khan 2-64, Fayyaz Butt 2-65)
Oman 285/5 (48.1 overs; Kashyap Prajapati 72, Zeeshan Maqsood 59, Aqib Ilyas 52, Mohammed Nadeem 46*, Ayaan Khan 21; Mark Adair 2-47, Josh Little 2-47)

Ireland will have to do it the hard way to reach the World Cup. Losing to Oman, the weakest of the five teams, means Ireland will probably have to win the next three matches against Sri Lanka, Scotland and UAE to finish two of the teams in the two-match Series. It is difficult to pinpoint the problem, but having lost the two warm-up matches it was certainly not complacency.
Inconsistency with both bat and ball is evident, but defending 281 against Oman should have secured a victory against a minnow. Two weeks ago Ireland played against a rampant England team and although not successful, they were not disgraced. However, three more defeats means they will have to restore the confidence or suffer an ignominious departure from the World Cup hierarchy.
George Dockrell and Harry Tector batted well and Josh Little and Mark Adair took two wickets each, but it was a huge disappointment to lose.
The next three matches are cup finals!

The three-day Rario Inter-Provincial T20 Trophy Festival came to a close with the Northern Knights remaining unbeaten in the competition, while the home side Munster Reds got off the mark by defeating the reigning champions Leinster Lightning in the final game of the week.
The third day of the first T20 Festival saw the top two sides and the bottom two sides meet.

Match 1: Northern Knights v North West Warriors
Morgan Topping scored a half-century off just 28 balls, while Cade Carmichael and Ruhan Pretorius also chipped in with 44 and 43 respectively as the Northern Knights remained unbeaten in the Rario Inter-Provincial Trophy. In the Knights three matches this week Topping has scored 114 runs without being dismissed.
After being set a target of 165 for victory by the Warriors, the Knights - despite losing Ross Adair early – set about a confident run chase. Partnerships were key, with consecutive stands of 52, 45 and 50* ensuring the Belfast-based side cantered to victory with 23 balls to spare. 73% (or 122 runs) of the 167 runs the Knights scored came in boundaries with some specular shots, particularly down the ground, but instead of a flashing drive or lofted cut shot to bring up the winning runs, it was less impressively four byes that took the Knights to victory – regardless of the manner of the final runs, one thing was assured, and that was the dominance of the Knights this week.
Earlier, the Warriors’ Stephen Doheny top-scored with 39, before lofting one to Pretorius out near the boundary in the 13th over. Matthew Foster claimed four wickets for the Knights – his best List A T20 figures – as the Warriors ended their 20 overs on 164-9.
MATCH SUMMARY
Warriors v Knights, Inter-Provincial T20 Trophy, The Mardyke, Cork, 8 June 2023
Warriors 164-9 (20 overs; S Doheny 39, S Getkate 29; M Foster 4-30)
Knights 167-3 (16.1 overs; M Topping 51*, C Carmichael 44; L Doherty 1-27)
Knights won by 7 wickets

Match 2: Munster Reds v Northern Knights
Munster Reds found some good batting form in their final match of the three-day festival as they claimed their first victory of the week by beat Leinster Lightning by five wickets.
Needing 158 for victory, the Reds trio of Nathan McGuire (34), Murray Commins (37) and a quick-fire 28 from Connor Fletcher saw them reach their target with 23 balls to spare.
Having won the toss and electing to bat, Lightning captain Tim Tector and his opening partner Seamus Lynch started well - smashing ten fours between them.
When Lynch departed, Adam Rosslee came in at number three to anchor the Lightning’s innings and combined well with Sam Harbinson for a 62-run fifth-wicket partnership.
Rosslee fell five runs short of a half-century in the 19th over, while Harbinson finished off the innings with a boundary as the Lightning posted 157-5, which in the end wasn’t enough.
MATCH SUMMARY
Lightning v Reds, Inter-Provincial T20 Trophy, The Mardyke, Cork, 8 June 2023
Lightning 157-5 (20 overs; S Harbinson 45*, A Rosslee 45; L McCarthy 2-27)
Reds 159-5 (16.1 overs; M Commins 37, N McGuire 34; A Sidhu 1-16)

Reds won by 5 wickets

A swarm of bees may have forced players to dive for cover mid-game, but the native pollinators couldn’t prevent the North West Warriors and Northern Knights claiming important wins over their respective southern-based opponents on Day 2 of the three-day Rario Inter-Provincial T20 Trophy festival at The Mardyke.
The second match of the day was interrupted after ten overs of the first innings when the bees swarmed across the pitch - sending spectators, players and umpires diving for cover - and then began to make a hive on the fence in front of the pavilion. Eventually, a local beekeeper was found who secured the queen and then waited for her family to join her, before safely removing the bees.
As for the cricket, the North West Warriors won for the second time this week after a comfortable win over the Leinster Lightning, while the Northern Knights also secured their second win of the week by overcoming Munster Reds in the bee-delayed encounter.

Match 1: North West Warriors v Leinster Lightning
A half-century from captain Shane Getkate saw his North West Warriors cruise to an 81-run victory over Leinster Lightning.
After being sent into bat first, the Warriors got off to a good start with Stephen Doheny and Aaron Gillespie putting on 41 for the first wicket. However, both were removed in the space of six balls, with the Warriors 49-2 after seven overs.
Getkate combined with Jared Wilson for a fourth wicket 65-run partnership, before a double-wicket maiden for Barry McCarthy in the 15th over – removing both Wilson and Cameron Melly – had the Warriors 120-5 with five overs to go.
William McClintock came in at number seven and smashed a quick-fire 34 from 13 balls, in a 46-run partnership with Getkate as the Warriors went on to post a competitive 180-7. McCarthy finished with the most economical four-wicket haul in Inter-Provincial T20 history with 4-12 from his four overs
In the Lightning’s response, the Warriors’ bowlers dominated as wickets fell with regularity. The Lightning batters struggled to get any rhythm going, except for McCarthy who rounded out a good all-round display scoring 27 – however, the Lightning were bowled out for 99 inside 14 overs, with only three of their batters reaching double-figures.

MATCH SUMMARY
Warriors v Lightning, Inter-Provincial T20 Trophy, The Mardyke, Cork, 7 June 2023
Warriors 180-7 (20 overs; S Getkate 55, W McClintock 34; B McCarthy 4-12)
Lightning 99 (13.5 overs; B McCarthy 27, S Harbinson 19; C Robertson 4-20)
Warriors won by 81 runs

Match 2: Munster Reds v Northern Knights
Ruhan Pretorius put in a Player of the Match performance as the Northern Knights beat the Munster Reds in a bee-shortened 12 over game at The Mardyke. Pretorius scored 44 runs along with 3-31 with the ball as the Knights won by seven wickets (DLS).
The game was interrupted in the 11th over with the Reds 91-2, after partnerships of 31 and 42 between Nicolaj Damgaard and Gareth Delany, then Delany and Murray Commins, had the Reds on pace to post a large total.
After a delay of 112 minutes play resumed, with the game reduced to 12 overs. Connor Fletcher was immediately caught and bowled by Matthew Humpheys as the Reds went on to post 106-5 from their twelve overs.
With a new DLS target of 129 for victory, the Knights opening pair of Pretorius and Ross Adair then combined for a 96-runs, before Pretorius was bowled by Ben White in the eight over
Despite also losing the wickets of Adair (39) and Neil Rock, the Knights went on to take the win with eight balls to spare.
MATCH SUMMARY
Reds v Knights, Inter-Provincial T20 Trophy, The Mardyke, Cork, 7 June 2023
Reds 106-5 (12 overs; G Delany 32, M Commins 28*; R Pretorius 3-31)
Knights 131-3 (10.4 overs; R Pretorius 44, R Adair 39; B White 2-22)
Knights won by 7 wickets (DLS)

On the opening day of Cork’s three-day Rario Inter-Provincial T20 Festival, the Northern Knights smashed the highest team score in the history of the Rario Inter-Provincial T20 Trophy as they scored 236-3 in their win over Leinster Lightning at The Mardyke (beating the previous best of 228).
The total included a 116-run fourth-wicket partnership – the Knights second highest T20 partnership in the competition.
Match 1: Munster Reds v North West Warriors
A 54-run fifth-wicket partnership between Scott Macbeth and Cameron Melly helped the North West Warriors take a six-wicket victory over Munster Reds in the opening game of the day.
Having found themselves 46-2 in the ninth over - after Stephen Doheny and Aaron Gillespie had been dismissed – Macbeth upped the scoring rate by smashing an unbeaten 40 runs off 24 balls, including four boundaries and a six. Melly followed his lead and scored an unbeaten 30 off 13 balls as the Warriors won comfortably with four overs to spare.
It was an excellent all-round bowling performance for the Warriors, with Trent McKeegan claiming 4-24 as the Reds were bowled out for 120 with seven balls left in their innings.
Having been put into bat, Munster Reds struggled to build partnerships throughout their innings, with the Warriors bowling unit finding plenty of movement from the pitch early on. Ryan Macbeth and McKeegan removed the first three batters inside the opening three overs, but despite a top score of 28 from Gareth Delany, and 22 from Liam McCarthy, the Reds could only total 120 all out.
MATCH SUMMARY
Reds v Warriors, Inter-Provincial T20 Trophy, The Mardyke, Cork, 6 June 2023
Reds 120 (18.5 overs; G Delany 28, L McCarthy 22; T McKeegan 4-24)
Warriors 125-4 (16 overs; S Macbeth 40*, C Melly 30*; L McCarthy 2-26)
Warriors won by 6 wickets.

Match 2: Leinster Lightning v Northern Knights
Northern Knights smashed the highest score in the history of the competition, as an unbroken 116-run partnership between Morgan Topping and Neil Rock ensured a 73-run victory over Leinster Lightning in The Mardyke.
A 61-run opening partnership between Ross Adair and Ruhan Pretorius set the tone for the Knights - Pretorius going on to score 53 from just 33 balls.
At 120-3, Knights captain Rock came to the crease and took the reins of the inning, blasting eight fours and six sixes an incredible 79* from just 26 balls. Topping supported Rock with 57* from 30 balls, hitting five fours and three sixes, as the Knights posted 263-3.
In the Lightning’s reply, Mark Donegan’s 58 off 32 balls – which included a 76-run partnership with Greg Ford – couldn’t keep pace with the required run rate, eventually bowled out for 163 with 17 balls remaining.
MATCH SUMMARY
Knights v Lightning, Inter-Provincial T20 Trophy, The Mardyke, Cork, 6 June 2023
Knights 236-3 (20 overs; N Rock 79*,M Topping 57*; A Sidhu 1-21)
Lightning 163 (17.1 overs; M Donegan 58, G Ford 31; T Mayes 4-28)
Knights won by 73 runs

Ireland displayed plenty of grit and determination on the third day at Lord’s, with a record-breaking stand between Mark Adair and Andy McBrine averting an innings defeat by England.
England eventually triumphed by 10 wickets, but only after Ireland had given their fans something to cheer after a tough first two days of the one-off Test.
Ireland ended the second day on 97-3, trailing by 255, after being bundled out for 172 in their first innings and conceding 524-4. An ankle injury to James McCollum meant they effectively had six wickets in hand, rather than seven.
Lorcan Tucker and Harry Tector had stitched together a promising stand the previous evening and extended their association to 63 before Tucker was dismissed, bowled by Jack Leach off an under-edged sweep.
Tector brushed off the setback to move to his fourth Test half-century in as many games, but when he fell one ball after his milestone, cutting England debutant Josh Tongue to point, and Curtis Campher followed soon after, sweeping Joe Root to Ben Stokes at short fine leg, a quick finish looked a certainty.
Instead, McBrine and Adair put on a rousing partnership - Ireland’s highest in Test cricket - breaking the record of 115 runs set by Andrew Balbirnie and Paul Stirling against Sri Lanka in their previous Test. Adair was the aggressor, taking the attack to the spinners with some brutal leg-side strokeplay before moving to his maiden Test half-century off just 47 balls with a wonderful piece of invention, ramping Stuart Broad over the keeper for four.
He continued to attack, making it three boundaries in three Broad balls and motored towards three figures. However, the stroke which brought up fifty also brought about his downfall, a ramped edge feathered through to Jonny Bairstow ending the stand on 163.
McBrine was content to play the supporting hand, but he unfurled some attacking shots of his own. Like Adair, he was severe on England’s slow bowlers, at one point blasting the ball through Leach’s hands as a return chance went for four, while he showed good use of the pace, guiding the ball past the slips cleverly and moving to a career-best score.
He slowed after Adair’s exit, with Fionn Hand departing for seven to give Tongue a five-for on debut but Graham Hume, at No.11, ensured England would bat again with consecutive boundaries off Root, a feat which elicited the loudest cheer of the day. Hume and McBrine negotiated an extended middle session to take the game past Tea and give McBrine a shot at a maiden Test century, but it wasn’t to be. Broad pegged back Hume’s off-stump, and Zak Crawley finished the 11-run chase with three boundaries in four balls.
MATCH SUMMARY
England v Ireland, Only Test match, Day Three, Lord’s, 3rd June 2023
Ireland 172 (56.2 overs; James McCollum 36, Curtis Campher 33, Stuart Broad 5-51)
England 524-4 dec (82.4 overs; Ollie Pope 205, Ben Duckett 182, Andy McBrine 2-99)
Ireland 362 (86.2 overs; Mark Adair 88, Andy McBrine 86*, Josh Tongue 5-66)
England 12-0 (0.4 overs; Zak Crawley 12*, Ben Duckett 0*, Mark Adair 0-12)
England won by 10 wickets

England’s top-order drove home their advantage against Ireland on Day Two at Lord’s as Ben Duckett piled on runs in the morning session before Ollie Pope hit a rapid double-century.
After declaring shortly after tea, Ireland lost PJ Moor and Andrew Balbirnie in quick succession, slipping to 18-2 before James McCollum left the field hurt. An authoritative hour of batting from Lorcan Tucker and Harry Tector meant Ireland reached 97-3 by the closeAfter quickly eliminating the 20-run deficit they began the day with, England’s batters began to build a lead. Duckett reached his first century on home soil less than an hour into play, flicking a single past short midwicket and raising his fist in the air as he ran through. Three balls later and another single took Pope to fifty, the lead growing at a significant rate.
As the sun burnt away the early morning cloud, the Ireland bowlers continued to toil. With the break approaching, Duckett and Pope accelerated once more, Pope moving into the nineties with ten minutes left in the session. Duckett passed 150 runs in the same over - prodding the ball into the legside for two.
He carved yet another boundary from Fionn Hand’s next delivery to bring up the 200 partnership, taking England into the break with a lead of 153, having scored 173 runs in the session.
Pope got to his century with a scampered single two overs after play’s resumption, while Duckett continued to attack. However, a bowling switch to Hume finally found the breakthrough with a thick inside edge from Duckett. His off stump was flattened, forcing him to depart for 182.
Joe Root’s arrival at the crease initially meant a period of relative calm, but he and Pope soon upped the ante once more. He raced past 150 as the partnership with Root rapidly rose towards three figures.
By Tea, Pope was within three runs of a double-century while England’s lead had moved on to 331. The game moved on quickly after the break. Root was bowled by McBrine from the third ball of the session, coming down the pitch and undone by some turn. Pope brought up his double-century, but the very next ball, he too skipped down the wicket and missed, out stumped with Tucker having plenty of time to take the bails off. That was enough for the England captain who recalled his batters with a lead of 352.
A circumspect start by Ireland’s openers was broken by Josh Tongue’s first ball in the innings. He dismissed Moor lbw to claim his first Test wicket after going without in the first innings. A second came along in the same over as Balbirnie under-edged through to Jonny Bairstow, leaving Ireland 18-2.
A further blow came when McCollum had to leave the field hurt after twisting his ankle pivoting to play a short ball from Tongue. Paul Stirling came to the crease and looked in imperious form, drilling a couple of boundaries through the off side to move Ireland towards fifty.
He became Tongue’s third victim of the evening, gloving behind 45 minutes before the scheduled close of play.
Tucker and Tector remained determinedly in place to see Ireland to the close without further harm and put some pressure back on to England. Not content to allow Tongue’s short-ball ploy to continue without response, Tector even hooked the debutant for six, while each struck three boundaries.
They will resume tomorrow morning 255 runs behind with seven wickets in hand.
MATCH SUMMARY
England v Ireland, Only Test match, Day Two, Lord’s, 2nd June 2023
Ireland 172 (56.2 overs; James McCollum 36, Curtis Campher 33, Stuart Broad 5-51)
England 524-4 dec (82.4 overs; Ollie Pope 205, Ben Duckett 182, Andy McBrine 2-99)
Ireland 97-3 (26 overs; Harry Tector 33*, Lorcan Tucker 21*, Josh Tongue 3-27)
England lead by 255 runs.

Ireland were bowled out for 172 on Day One at Lord’s as Stuart Broad took a five-wicket haul before brisk fifties from both openers put England on top.
Ben Stokes won the toss and opted to bowl first, putting Ireland into bat in overcast conditions. It was a momentous day for Fionn Hand, who was given a Test debut for Ireland, receiving his cap from PJ Moor before the start of play.
An initial four-over period of calm for Ireland’s openers was broken by Broad, who thumped the new Duke’s ball into Moor’s pad plumb in front to break into the batting line-up.
Two more wickets fell in the first half-hour of play, with Andrew Balbirnie lasting five balls before he became Broad’s second victim, hanging his bat outside off stump and nicking to Zak Crawley at second slip. Two balls later and Harry Tector was also heading back to the pavilion. A man had been placed at leg slip all morning and Tector rewarded the plan, flicking the ball straight to Matthew Potts.
In trouble at 19-3, it could have been even worse for Ireland as Paul Stirling almost became Broad’s third wicket in the over. He was given out off the first delivery he faced after the ball struck his pad in front of middle and leg but opted for the review. DRS showed the ball sliding down the leg side and missing the stumps to give Ireland an important reprieve.
A 45-run partnership between James McCollum and Stirling steadied the ship over the next hour of play. Stirling, as ever, took the aggressive approach, whacking boundaries off both Josh Tongue and Jack Leach and scoring at near a run a ball.
With 20 minutes to go before lunch, Stirling looked to unfurl an almighty sweep off Leach but clipped the ball with his glove. It popped gently up into the air for Bairstow to take a simple catch, Ireland losing their fourth wicket in the morning session with Stirling out for 30
After some chin music before the break from Tongue, McCollum resumed his stoical presence at the crease on 29 from 93 balls after Lunch. However, his vigil was brought to an end by a length delivery from Broad, which was nicked through to Joe Root at first slip. Lorcan Tucker followed him back shortly after, falling to Leach.
Curtis Campher looked in imperious form as the afternoon wore on. He drilled a cover drive to the boundary off Broad before timing a pull shot off Tongue for another four. Andy McBrine joined in on advancing the partnership, pulling Potts behind square with authority. However, he became Ireland’s seventh wicket to fall when he was dismissed by Potts, nicking behind to Bairstow for 19.
After Ireland made it through to the Tea break without further loss, Broad finally completed his five-for in his second over after the break, clipping Adair’s off-stump with an inswinger. It was his third five-wicket-haul at Lord’s and his first at the ground since 2013.
Ireland’s innings tailed off quickly after that. Campher’s stumps were broken when he danced down the wicket to Jack Leach and Hand nicked behind five balls later to bring the innings to a close on 172.
England’s openers then made great in-roads into Ireland’s lead in the evening sun. Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett raced to a fifty stand in just 7.2 overs, before passing 100 in quick time.
Crawley rode his luck at times as he reached his half-century off 39 balls, inside edging down to the boundary on several occasions. He was out to a ball he struck firmly, as Hand just clung on to a brilliant caught and bowled to take his first Test wicket.
Duckett and Ollie Pope saw England through to the close with Ireland’s first innings lead just 20. England will resume on 152-1 tomorrow morning.
MATCH SUMMARY
England v Ireland, Only Test match, Day One, Lord’s, 1st June 2023
Ireland 172 (56.2 overs; James McCollum 36, Curtis Campher 33; Stuart Broad 5-51)
England 152-1 (25 overs; Ben Duckett 60*, Zak Crawley 56; Fionn Hand 1-42)
Ireland lead by 20 runs.

MATCH SUMMARY

Essex Men v Ireland Men, First-class match, Chelmsford, 26-28 May 2023
Essex 343 (71.5 overs; R Das 132, G Dockrell 74, M Adair 64; T Mayes 4-68)
Ireland 419 (87.5 overs; P Stirling 107, L Tucker 97, A McBrine 67; J Richards 5-96)
Essex 307-8 dec (53 overs; M Adair 85, W Buttleman 65; G Hume 3-49, T Mayes 3-55)
Ireland 232-0 (42.4 overs; PJ Moor 118*, J McCollum 100*)
Ireland won by 10 wickets