PAUL STIRLING and Harry Tector scored magnificent centuries at Malahide but for the second time in six days Ireland lost a last-over thriller to New Zealand, going down by one run in the final game of a superb World Cup Super League series.

When the Black Caps lost the World Cup final to England three years ago this week it was famously ‘by the barest of margins’ when they probably should have won.

This time it was Ireland who agonisingly missed out as debutant Graham Hume flailed at the last ball of the game, failed to make contact, and the last pair’s scampered bye to the wicketkeeper just wasn’t enough.

If Ireland had found two more runs to better New Zealand’s mighty 360-6 they would have completed the fifth highest successful run chase in the history of one-day internationals.

Yet when Stirling and Tector were adding a scintillating 179 for the third wicket the game was theirs to lose, and deep into the final overs with wickets falling the Boys in Green were still favourites with the bookies.

Stirling led the way with a boisterous 120 from 103 balls, his 13th international century containing 14 fours and five sixes, ubefore he perished on the deep mid-wicket boundary.

Gareth Delany kept the momentum going with a lively 22 from 16 balls but again when Ireland had the game at their mercy, needing 90 from 11.3 overs, a flying one-handed catch at short extra by Martin Guptill notched another wicket for the visitors.

Delany trudged off, not quite believing his bad luck, and was soon followed by Curtis Campher but Tector soldiered on, reaching his second century of the series from 96 balls, with five maximums.

It was an innings not without luck - a yorker from Lockie Ferguson had clipped his off stump early on without removing a bail, but it was also noticable that the 22-year-old’s century celebrations were muted this time - he still had a job to do.

Alas, perhaps affected by a blow on the helmet by a Ferguson bouncer, Tector was bowled for 108 in the following over, attempting a left-handed swish shot.

It’s hard to criticise a player in such good form who has scored two wonderful centuries against the world’s number one ranked team, but with Ireland needing a modest 51 from 40 balls at that stage it cost the victory.

“It was an amazing game,” Ireland skipper Andy Balbirnie said. “We did well to go toe-to-toe with them. It’s another bitter pill to swallow but it was a great chase.

“Those two hundreds were among the best I've seen. Tector has been threatening to do this, getting two in a week is special.”

New Zealand maintain their 100 per cent record in the Super League with a 3-0 series win but no matter how much two of those defeats will hurt for a good few days to come, Ireland coach Heinrich Malan must know his men are on the right track.