AFTER he hit the winning runs against England in Bangalore, Johnny Mooney hurled his bat high in the air and screamed as his teammates charged on to celebrate.
Yesterday in the small town of Nelson, New Zealand, Mooney's boundary again clinched a World Cup win.
But this time he took off his helmet slowly and shook the hand of the nearest West Indian fielder. The rest of the team walked on to the field to celebrate in a much more low-key fashion than four years ago.
This wasn't a “giant-killing” as the commentators wanted to frame it. This was a highly talented team going about the professional dismantling of a rival.
Job done, move on.
William Porterfield's men moved on last night to the north-east of Australia where they play the United Arab Emirates this day week, before they head into the deep waters of a game against South Africa.
“I don't see it as an upset”, Porterfield said afterwards. “We prepared to come into this game to win. We're going to prepare to go into the UAE game to win.
“It's where we're at.” It was a win born in the well-made plans of Phil Simmons and his staff, and executed with style by the Irish fielders, spinners and top order bats.
Calling the toss right was a great help, allowing the Irish bowlers first use of a pitch which only gave help to the bowlers for about 20 minutes at the start of the day.
The first ten over powerplay saw just 40 runs conceded and two vital wickets claimed. The Irish spinners then started to turn up the heat and none more than Andrew McBrine, a late surprise call up who had never played against a major nation.
The 21 year old from the Co Tyrone village of Donemana coughed up just 26 runs off his ten overs, and completed a brilliant run out of Darren Bravo for a diamond duck. George Dockrell was hit for six by Chris Gayle but kept his nerve to claim his wicket and the Windies other star batsman Marlon Samuels in the space of three-balls.
At 87-5 Ireland were well on top, and could have sealed it early had Paul Stirling not dropped Darren Sammy first ball off a tricky slip chance.
It took another 89 runs before Sammy was finally subdued after a brilliant fight-back stand of 154 in 20 overs with Lendl Simmons.
The latter did his best to ruin the day of his second cousin Phil with an 84-ball century which ended in the last over after hitting five sixes. Dockrell finished with 3-50 and there were wickets for Mooney, Kevin O'Brien and Max Sorensen but Ireland's seamers struggled against an unyielding pitch, short boundaries and a fast outfield.
The batting conditions were the same for Ireland of course, and the experienced top order finally clicked after a difficult winter. Porterfield and Stirling got on the attack early and raced ahead of the required run-rate.
After ten overs, by comparison, they had reached 61-0. The captain went trying to hit Gayle's gentle spin but Stirling was joined by Ireland's class act, Ed Joyce.
With the West Indies bowling far too short, there were runs to be had and both batsmen played a great range of shots through and over the fielders. They showed no fear as they raced past the 100 mark with Stirling putting feared bowlers like Jerome Taylor to the sword with a sequence of 4-6-4-4.
They had put together a century stand when Stirling fell eight short of a well-deserved century with a thin edge off the innocuous Marlon Samuels, by when Ireland were almost 100 ahead of where their opponents had been at the same stage.
Joyce was joined by Niall O'Brien who frequently talks of his regret that he was out for a match-winning 72 just before the win was sealed over Pakistan in 2007.
The Railway Union man carried on where Stirling left off, mixing aggression with defence before Joyce too fell for a marvellous 84, the same score as he made against West Indies in 2011.
His departure led to a flurry of wickets which might have caused panic in a lesser side. Four wickets fell in less than five overs for 18 runs, but just 14 were needed when O'Brien was joined by Mooney.
The veterans have given so much to the sport over the last decade and it was fitting they were there to see it home.
***********************************************************************
Successful 300 chases in World Cups
- Ireland 329 for 7 v England in 2011
- Sri Lanka 313 for 7 v Zimbabwe in 1992
- Ireland 307 for 4 v Netherlands in 2011
- Ireland 307 for 6 v West Indies in 2015
- England 301 for 9 v West Indies in 2007
**************************************************************************
WHILE Ed Joyce and Niall O'Brien have been the best Ireland batsmen in county and international cricket over the past decade, there's no doubt Paul Stirling is chasing that reputation hard.
His 92 yesterday was a stunning innings, dominating experienced fast bowlers who had just no answer to the shy 24 year old from Belfast.
A modest man, Stirling is obviously uncomfortable with the attention his success brings and has been known to dodge post-match award ceremonies when he would have to speak to camera.
He braved the watching world yesterday and his cheeky smile would have endeared him to the billions watching across Asia.
Perhaps his batting would endear him to a wealthy Indian T20 side, but he wasn't even mentioned when the IPL auction kicked off yesterday in Mumbai.
While Kevin O'Brien has parlayed his talent into lucrative contracts in England, West Indies, Bangladesh and New Zealand, Stirling has been largely overlooked. He had a successful sojourn with the Sylhet Royals in Bangladesh, but only last summer established himself in the Middlesex team at Lord's.
A contract with an English cricket club is not comparable to a football team, and Stirling's annual salary is probably little more than an average weekly Premier League pay packet of £50,000. He earns about £20,000 on top of that from Ireland, and match fees and bonuses can bring it up.
His aggression from the off is disconcerting to bowlers, and one Sky Sports graphic showed just how he ranks in the world game.
In the vital opening ten over power-play - when only two fielders are allowed to be more than 30 yards from the batsman - Stirling scores at a rate of more than one run a ball, second only to the Indian blitzer Virender Sehwag.
He has drawn wide praise for his skills, which are helped by powerful arms and a keen eye.
“All the top Irish batsmen batted well but Stirling in particular looked at ease” said former Windies star Michael Holding.
“He played some great cricket shots. He wasn't afraid to play shots off fast bowlers and spinners. “
“Paul is without doubt one of the most exciting young cricketers in the world,” says Middlesex's managing director of cricket Angus Fraser, the former test bowler who is now an England selector.
“I have watched a lot of cricket in the past 30 years but I have seen very few batsmen strike the ball as cleanly and hit the ball as far as Paul.
“If he is not quite on a par with the likes of Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard, he is not far behind.
“On his day he is almost impossible to bowl at, such is the array of strokes he can play.”
**************************************************************************
PREVIOUS IRISH WINS OVER WEST INDIES
- 1928 - Trinity student George McVeagh scores 102* from No.8 as Ireland win by 60 runs at College Park
- 1969 - Windies bowled out for 25 at Sion Mills thanks to Alec O'Riordan (4-18) and Dougie Goodwin (5-6)
- 2004 - Ireland chased 295 and got it with six wickets and four overs to spare at Stormont, thanks to 50s by Jason Molins, Jeremy Bray and Niall O'Brien
- 2014 - In a T20 game in Jamaica the Windies made 116-8 before Ed Joyce (40*) and Andrew Poynter (32) steered Ireland home