CRICKET:NOT FOR the first time a fine drop of McCallan was the undoing of a group of Scotsman as Ireland retained their European Championship Division One title with a comfortable, seven-wicket Duckworth Lewis victory in Clontarf yesterday.
He may spell his name slightly differently, but just like the Scotch whisky Kyle McCallan improves with age, and when the rain finally abated after lunch it was his brilliant spell of off-spin that derailed a runaway Scottish train as the visitors went from 60 without loss in the ninth over to 152 for nine off their reduced allocation of 35 overs.
Ireland were set a revised total of 153, which was further reduced to 128 off 27 after another break for rain. A first ODI half-century from Gary Wilson and a classy 47 off 43 balls from Andre Botha helped them home with 19 balls to spare to claim their third European crown.
Ireland skipper William Porterfield had won a vital toss and inserted the Scots, but in seamer-friendly conditions the opening attack failed to find their range. With these two sides due to meet tomorrow in a vital World Twenty20 Qualifier in Belfast, it looked like openers Ryan Watson and Gavin Hamilton were putting in an early audition as they plundered 32 runs off the first four overs.
The introduction of Alex Cusack and Botha stemmed the tide somewhat, with Cusack making the breakthrough in the ninth over when Hamilton was bowled for 21 with the score on 60.
Three overs later Botha struck from the other end, bowling Qasim Sheikh for two.
But the real danger remained in Scotland skipper Watson, who brought up his half-century off just 42 balls with six fours and a six.
McCallan, playing his 22nd match against Scotland, entered the fray in the 18th over and made an immediate impact after Watson skipped down the wicket to his second ball, only for Niall O'Brien to complete a routine stumping.
The pairing meted out the same treatment to Colin Smith off the first ball of McCallan's second over and Ireland were right back in it at 99 for four.
After a disappointing first two overs, Peter Connell came back to claim the wickets of Neil McCallum and Fraser Watts, the latter with a well disguised slower ball, while Cusack and Botha doubled their tally.
It was McCallan who produced the standout figures, trapping Majid Haq leg-before to claim three wickets off his seven overs at a cost of just 10 runs.
With one eye on the heavy clouds circling the ground, Ireland put the foot down from the off. Wilson may be a lesser light among Ireland's County-based players, but you wouldn't have thought that watching him yesterday. Porterfield was bowled by John Blain for one, with Wilson already on 16, and he had moved to 22 out of Ireland's 27 before the umpires sent the players back to the pavilion as the last of the rain passed over. A new target of 128 in 27 overs was set.
The delay did not suit Niall O'Brien, as he played on for 10 off the bowling of Gordon Drummond to leave Ireland on 42 for two.
Botha joined Wilson at the wicket and the pair pushed on, regularly hitting boundaries in a match-defining stand of 77 for the third wicket. Wilson brought up his 50 off 64 balls with six boundaries before holing out to Blain at long-on off the bowling of Haq with Ireland just nine runs shy of victory.
The sun made a brief appearance as Kevin O'Brien clobbered Drummond over the mid-wicket boundary for six for a victory that will boost confidence ahead of tomorrow's key game at Stormont.
"Barring the first five overs we played cricket how we need to play it," said Ireland coach Phil Simmons.
"If we can play like that, even against the top teams, we'll still give them a scare all the time. Against other Associates we will always win if we play like that," he added.
