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Ireland International Matches
Ireland beat Combined Services by an innings and 46 runs
2 Day, Londonderry, 28-29 August 1970
Scorecard
Derek Scott

Ireland won their second victory of 1970 and third in successive years over Combined Services. The wicket at Beechgrove was slow and the ball was inclined to stop and sometimes pop. The Services batsmen were not used to this and failed to adapt. The Services bowling was hampered by the non-arrival of a spin bowler. When Monteith cried off the Irish team a batsman was selected instead. He was WI Lewis who last played in 1963 but whose 1970 Guinness Cup form was excellent.

The Services won the toss and batted, perhaps mistakenly. The morning was misty, the ground was very wet with dew and cut grass and the wicket was damp. The day improved and was warm later on. Toft and Deverell began to O'Riordan and Goodwin. The first five overs were maidens. Then, in the sixth over, Deverell hit Goodwin for two fours and was then bowled playing forward. Moylan-Jones came in and played the only good innings on the Services side. Before he scored, and when the total was 14, he was dropped off a push to mid-on by Halliday off Goodwin's bowling - an easy catch. At 27 Halliday came on for O'Riordan after an hour's play. Halliday bowled 10 overs of off spin but his line was not good and he bowled too many loose balls. At 31 Pigot swooped low to his left at short leg to pick up a good catch to dismiss Toft off Goodwin. Robinson came in and there followed the best stand of the innings. 41 were added in 35 minutes. Goodwin nearly caught and bowled Moylan-Jones at 34. The latter then pulled Halliday for two sixes and drove him for four. At 57 Duffy came on for Goodwin. Conditions suited his gentle swing and cut and he bowled beautifully. In his third over, with the score on 72, he took two wickets. He caught and bowled Moylan-Jones two-handed in front of his face off a hard drive. Two balls later Peck lobbed a gentle catch to mid-on. The lunch score after two hours was 79-4, Robinson six, Lucas three.

Lucas was caught at slip off Duffy with the total on 80 and at 92 Lane skied Duffy to wide mid-on. O'Riordan had come back after lunch. At 95 he had Robinson caught at the wicket driving at a shortish ball. Robinson had batted 70 minutes for 13. Christy, at number eight, hit out. He scored 11 including a pulled six off Duffy. He then lobbed a catch back to Duffy to give him his 50th wicket for Ireland in his 42nd match. O'Riordan bowled Davey and had Holmes, the substitute for the missing bowler, caught at short leg. Duffy had 5-19 in 13 overs and deserved his figures. 52.2 overs were bowled in all while Services scored 106 runs.

At 3:12 PM Pigot and Reith opened against Lane and Davey. The attack was not very hostile but Reith lost his wicket to Davey's second ball. He glanced straight to Lucas at leg slip. Harrison was his usual neat and compact self. Both went along nicely. At 37 Pigot, on 13, was almost caught at slip off Davey off his gloves when cutting. The fielder knocked the lobbed ball up but could not catch it. Christy had come on with medium paced in swing bowled a little short of a length. Pigot brought 50 up in 55 minutes by hitting Christy for 10 in his fifth over. At tea the score was 60, scored in 63 minutes, Pigot 29 Harrison 22.

Christy and Lucas (off spin) took up the bowling after tea. At 83 Christy went around the wicket and Harrison met Reith's fate - caught at leg slip while glancing. 83-2-32. Dineen came in and was dropped at slip by Peck off Christy at six and the total 89. The left-handed Dineen was having trouble with, to him, the outswing of Christy. Between 5:00 and 5:30 PM there was a dull period of 11 overs for only seven runs. Pigot reached 52 out of 117 in 127 minutes. The scoring rate bucked up. Dineen hit Christy for six over mid-off and was then dropped again by Peck at slip off Christy. At 142 Dineen was run out. Pigot tapped the ball slightly wide at square leg and refused Dineen's call for a quick run. The run was on but Dineen was left stranded. 40 were scored in the last 34 minutes, 27 to Pigot and 9 to O'Riordan. Davey had come on for Lucas at 148. The close of play score was 182-3, Pigot 88, O'Riordan 9.

Next day was sunny and the ground was dry. Christy and Lucas took up the bowling and both batsmen were out without addition. O'Riordan was caught at slip (by Peck!) to the fifth ball of the first over bowled by Lucas. The fourth ball of the second over Pigot play back when he should have gone forward and played on. He had batted well for 88 in three hours. He had previously scored 88 this year against Scotland in Perth. Anderson and Lewis were now together and scored 70 in 52 minutes before the declaration. There were 15 extras in the stand and Anderson reached 37 (including a six pulled off Christy) and Lewis 18. Christy came off after bowling 35 successive overs to take 2-93. He was replaced, at 217, by Davey. The batsmen ran very well and played some good strokes with Lewis giving Anderson as much of the strike as possible. Lewis was in a difficult position. He had been restored to the team because he was a more mature player than when he first played. Yet now he had to get runs quickly. In fact he batted in a way that was just right for the circumstances.

The declaration gave Ireland a lead of 146 with 290 minutes left. The match ended shortly before tea with more than two hours left. The Services' batsmen still failed to adapt themselves to the wicket and were all out for 93 in 47.4 overs. It might have been over even sooner if Duffy had come on earlier. He did not get on until the 42nd over and then took 2-4 in 3.4 overs.

At 13 Toft was caught off his gloves off Goodwin. The ball lifted and lobbed gently to Duffy at gully. The first ball of O'Riordan's next over bowled Moylan-Jones round his legs for one. At lunch Deverell and Robinson were together. Afterwards Robinson gave two difficult half chances to gully (Duffy) and short-leg (Pigot). At 38 Deverell was bowled playing forward to Goodwin. Peck gave a difficult chance to Reith at short square-leg off O'Riordan and Robinson was just missed by Lewis who had to turn, run and try to catch a skier over his shoulder at mid-off. Halliday relieved O'Riordan on 49. In his first over he dropped Robinson (25) on an easy caught and bowled chance with the total on 54. Without addition Peck was out. Pigot, at short leg, dropped on to the wicket and caught him two-handed off Goodwin. At 67 two wickets fell. Lucas hit a bad ball from Halliday to fine leg for four and touched his wicket with his foot. Next over Robinson was caught at the wicket off his glove swinging at Goodwin. He had batted 90 minutes for 30. At 79 Christy skied Goodwin to mid-wicket. Halliday ran from mid-on to take a good diving catch. O'Riordan then came back for Halliday and Duffy came on for Goodwin. The latter had bowled 20 accurate overs and took 5-37. O'Riordan bowled Lane at 84 and Duffy took the last two. Davey gave Colhoun a diving chance off O'Riordan but it was Duffy who got him playing back to a straight one (LBW). He offered no stroke. Holmes hit Duffy for a four (the only scoring stroke off Duffy) and was stumped in the same over.