Cricket:Ireland ran into a carnival procession here yesterday as a pumped-up West Indies cruised to victory in front of 20,000 cheering locals.
Missing their captain Trent Johnston through injury, the Irish lost for the first time in this World Cup. They were beaten by a better side playing well - no shame there.
Their decision to make first use of a fast, bouncy Sabina Park wicket was bold statement of intent in front of a vociferous near capacity crowd.
Trent Johnston's injured shoulder was not risked, so the team took to the field without their captain for the first time in the tournament. Vice-captain Kyle McCallan led the side in his absence.
Before play began, a minute's silence was held for former ICU chairman Bob Kerr, who died this week while following Ireland's remarkable progress in Group D. It was the second such ceremony in as many games following the tribute to Bob Woolmer at the same ground on Wednesday. The locals, still filing in from the back streets of Kingston, observed it impeccably.
The Blarney Army was shorn of several battalions, but the tricolour was still flying at several points around the ground. The now familiar chants of "Ireland, Ireland" were subsumed by the exuberance of the Jamaicans, who were hosting their team for possibly the last time in the tournament, depending on who makes it back to Sabina Park for the semi-finals.
The first over from Jerome Taylor was hostile, bowling fast and full, moving the ball in to William Porterfield's pads. The perfect line given Ireland's left handed top five.
Porterfield, a former MCC Young Cricketer, seemed stunned by the pace and went caught at slip off Daren Powell's second ball. The Jamaican crowd had come in large numbers and sat back expecting a rout, led by local boys Taylor and Powell.
But excited by the pace of the pitch, the quickies bowled too short, the trampoline bounce of the wicket illustrated by a top edged six by Morgan that went over the wicket-keeper's head off Taylor.
There followed a stand of 58 off 84 balls between Jeremy Bray and Eoin Morgan which stabilised the innings after the shock of the early wicket.
But the theme of the innings was of lost opportunities. Seven of the Ireland batsmen reached double figures, none went on to reach 50.
At 70 for 2, Ireland had weathered the early pace and looked set to build a commanding total, one that might test the hosts.
It was a much needed partnership but ended prematurely. The pressure of making a score on such a perfect batting wicket weighed heavily and prompted a rash decision by Morgan. After a 14-ball period of inaction, he charged down to Powell and top edged a skier. Keeper Denesh Ramdin beat four of his team-mates to the catch running 20 yards back toward the North Stand.
Kevin O'Brien promised to offer support to Botha, by now established. But against the off spin of Gayle and Samuels, the middle of the order was becalmed. A straight six by Botha was followed by a slog sweep that caught the top edge.
Captain Kyle McCallan set himself the task of squeezing maximum value from the tail. He set up shop with Andrew White - the two will share an office in September when White joins McCallan in the PE department at Grosvenor Grammar School in east Belfast. But for now it was the West Indians who were handing out the lessons.
White reached 18, before trying a cheeky sweep off the fast medium bowling of Dwayne Bravo and was bowled behind his legs.
This brought John Mooney to the wicket. The all rounder from the North County club in Balrothery, was playing his first game of the tournament, as replacement for Johnston. He walked into a cauldron. Bravo, the great new hope of West Indian cricket had his tail up, a baying crowd behind him.
Running away from the George Headley Stand, he bowled a brute of a first ball. Short and fast it flew at chest height, flicking Mooney's glove before he had time to move his hands out of the way. The ball, and the moment, would have accounted for many a veteran player.
Dave Langford Smith survived an lbw shout on the hat-trick ball before he and McCallan scampered the final few runs.
The momentum of the West Indian innings was provided by Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who began by hitting four consecutive boundaries off one Boyd Rankin over. After the emotional rollercoaster of the past two weeks, the team will be relieved to start afresh in Guyana, before readying themselves for another huge game, against England in Georgetown.
Scoreboard
Ireland v West Indies
Ireland won toss and elected to bat
Ireland Innings
J P Bray c Sub b Taylor 41
W T S Porterfield c Gayle b D B Powell 0
E J G Morgan c Ramdin b D B Powell 18
N J O'Brien c Ramdin b Bradshaw 11
A C Botha c Ramdin b Gayle 28
K J O'Brien c Sarwan b Gayle 17
A R White b Bravo 18
W K McCallan not out 20
J F Mooney c Ramdin b Bravo 0
D Langford-Smith not out 8
Extrasb4 lb10 w6 nb2 22
Total(8 wkts Innings, 48 overs) ... 183
Fall: 1-3; 2-61; 3-76; 4-82; 5-129; 6-139; 7-163; 8-163.
Bowling: Taylor 8-0-37-1; D B Powell 9-2-24-2; Bradshaw 9-0-27-1; Bravo 7-0-35-2; Gayle 10-0-23-2; Samuels 5-023-0.
West Indies Innings
C H Gayle c A R White b Langford-Smith 18
S Chanderpaul not out 102
R R Sarwan c K J O'Brien b McCallan 36
M N Samuels not out 27
Extras(lb1 w6 pens 0) 7
Total2 wkts (38.1 overs) 190
Fall: 1-24 2-143.
Did Not Bat: B C Lara, D J Bravo, D Ramdin, D R Smith, D B Powell, J E Taylor, I D R Bradshaw.
Bowling: Langford-Smith 9 1 33 1; Rankin 5 0 38 0; A C Botha 6 0 35 0; J F Mooney 4 1 22 0; McCallan 10 0 35 1; K J O'Brien 3 0 13 0; A R White 1.1 0 13 0.
Umpires: B F Bowden and I J Gould.
West Indies won by 8 wickets (Duckworth-Lewis system).
