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Ireland International Matches
Ireland drew with Scotland
3 Day, Clontarf, 25 July 1981
Scorecard
Derek Scott

There was no play after lunch on the first day due to light rain in still conditions. The second and third days were played in bright warm sunshine. Ireland dropped a bowler (Kane) and brought in the youthful stroke-playing Prior as an extra batsmen for his first cap. Then Short got injured and another new cap RT Wills, a most successful Guinness Cup player came in. RG Swan was Scotland's new captain. GF Goddard had been deposed but was due to play. He and DG Moir were unable to play and were replaced by ABM Ker (brother of JF) and EJ McIntyre. These two were playing in their first Ireland v Scotland match as were Prior, Wills, Warke and Jackson for Ireland.

Scotland won the toss and sent in Donald and ABM Ker to face Corlett and Torrens. Torrens' fifth ball to Ker was a long hop which Ker tennis stroked high to mid-off . 0-1-0. Donald and Bell put on 41. At 14 Bell (eight) gave Jackson a difficult diving chance off Corlett. The running between the wickets was not good. Eventually, at 41, Prior made a good stop at square leg and ran Donald out at the bowler's end. 41-2-18. Swan came in and batted out to lunch with Bell. Halliday had a long spell and both Anderson and Prior had a turn at Torrens' end. Just before lunch Bell reached 50 in 142 minutes. The score at lunch was 106-2, Bell 56, Swan 28. Then came the rain. An attempt was made to restart at 6.20 (the close was at 7 PM) but the light was too poor.

Torrens conceded eight in the first over on Sunday morning but soon the wickets were falling for no good reason other than the pace and accuracy of Torrens. At 120 he had Bell LBW for 60. Next over Corlett bowled Swan. 121-4-38. At 125 Torrens took two wickets in successive overs. He bowled the left-handed Warner with a beauty which hit off stump and then Johnston played on. The score was now 125-6. Warke dropped Brown in the gully off Corlett but Harpur caught McIntyre on a good catch at square leg off Halliday at 141. At 142 JF Ker gave Wills a difficult slip catch off Prior who had just relieved Torrens. This was to be a critical miss. In his 12 over spell Torrens had taken 3-15 of which eight came off his first over. At 150 Brown was LBW to Halliday on the front foot. Robertson helped Ker (JF) to add 19. Torrens was recalled and bowled Robertson with his first ball (the new ball had been taken by Corlett in the previous 87th over). In came Clark. In eight overs after lunch he and Ker JF added 25. Lunch was taken at 194-9, Clark 13, Ker 17. In 44 overs this morning 92 runs were scored. The innings was in its 100th over when Torrens had Clark LBW at 210 - the last two wickets had put on 60. Torrens bowling with great heart and fire emerged with 6-42 off 26.1 overs.

O'Brien and Warke opened with 115 minutes to go to tea. At 20 Warke was LBW in Clark's fourth over. Harte took eight off one Robertson over but scoring was slow. Johnston (slow left arm) and McIntyre (off spin) were tried. By tea the score was 74-1 in 35 overs, O Brien 21, Harte 35. The pace quickened a little until, at 97, Harte (39) was LBW to Clark. Two runs later O'Brien, also 39, slashed JF Ker to gully where McIntyre made a good catch. Prior joined Anderson in a stand of 37. Prior hit his third ball in international cricket into the gardens at square leg off Clark. He took 13 off the over. In Clark's next over Prior crashed the ball into the screen. Johnston came on and Prior tried another huge hook but JE Ker took a fine catch at deep square leg. 136-4-20. Prior had certainly woken the game up! Wills played well in his first Irish innings. He and Anderson put on 48 to close of play which came at 184-4 after 76 overs. Wills was 24 and Anderson, strangely quiet, made only 20 in this time and was 37 not out.

On the third day Ireland were resolved build a big lead and batted on until lunch (a period of 150 minutes). They scored 147 in this time in 43 overs. Johnston missed a caught and bowled chance off Anderson before he scored today. Anderson then quickened his pace. The new ball was taken after 85 overs with the score on 216 and, next over, Anderson reached 51 in 125 minutes. Wills was playing well and had reached 48 when he flicked Robertson to wicket-keeper Brown. The stand was worth 92. The pace slowed again with Harpur in. 36 were added of which Harpur made only six off 36 balls before being LBW to Johnston.

Corlett was caught at 269 and Torrens run out at 270, trying to run a second run without looking. Anderson's strangely unmemorable innings ended at 288 when he drove at Robertson and was caught at the wicket for 99 in 221 minutes off 197 balls. He is only the second to score 99 for Ireland following JF Short against Sussex at Pagham in 1977. Jackson suddenly burst into life. He hit 12 off one Johnston over, including a six. He then took 10 off Robertson. In 26 minutes to lunch the last pair added 43 and Jackson was 42 not out at the lunch declaration of 331-9 off 119 overs. Of the six Scottish Bowlers, Robertson took 3-119 in 34 overs. Jackson's 42*was the highest score by an Irish wicket-keeper since AP Kelly's 75 against Scotland at College Park in 1929.

There were 170 minutes left when Donald and ABM Ker opened again for Scotland, 121 runs behind. Ker had been out in Torrens' first over in the first innings. He took 10 off it now and 32 runs were scored off six overs - 16 to each batsman. At 42 Donald was LBW to Corlett. 42-1-70. Torrens conceded 26 in his three overs. Ker hit Halliday for a six and then for three fours in one over. He reached 51 out of 61 in the 17th over in only 54 minutes. Anderson eventually got him out. Ker hoisted him over mid-off. Warke turned, made ground and caught it at full stretch. Ker had made 65 out of 92 off 69 balls in only 74 minutes. There were no more alarms. The match ended at 4.30 PM after 11 of the last 20 overs had been bowled. 137 for two had come off 48 overs, Bell 30, Swan 25.

BA O Brien (1966-81) retired after this match. He had made 1636 runs at 21.24 in 52 matches and had been captain in his last four.