Sports Digest/ CRICKET: As Ireland headed off to Finnegan's Bar in Kuala Lumpur last night, after losing to Bermuda by 20 runs to finish bottom of Group D at the Under-19 World Cup, it might as well have been to a wake.
Any thoughts of this team producing the sort of upsets that shook the cricketing world in the Caribbean last spring have long since been buried and on yesterday's showing the chance of Ireland being resurrected in time to go home at the end of next week with even a single Plate victory looks unlikely. An, at-times, shambolic performance in the field allowed Bermuda to slip the early leash of lost wickets and post 221, then after Chris Dougherty had again impressed with a solid 70, his side subsided from 161 for three to 201 all out.
Winning the toss yesterday should have been worth 20 runs, given the early movement, and Ireland began well with Andrew Britton taking a wicket in his second over. The change bowlers kept the pressure on until Bermuda captain Rodney Trott charged down the wicket to the off-spin of James Hall and was badly missed by Stuart Poynter. Let off, Trott and Malachi Jones had added 106 for the fifth wicket and it transpired there was nothing much to follow for Bermuda.
Paul Stirling was unlucky to go early in the reply, leg-before to a ball that crept horribly, but Dougherty and Ben Ackland went sensibly about their task - taking few risks to keep the scoreboard moving. When Ackland was leg-before sweeping for 37 and Dougherty struck his 108th ball to long off, Hall picked up the baton with some style, reducing the target to 66 runs from the final 10 overs, with seven wickets in hand.
The 41st over proved decisive as man-of-the-match Chris Douglas removed James Shannon and Hall and the superior quality of the Bermudan fielding shone through as the victory quickly seeped away.
RESULT- At Royal Selangor Club, Kuala Lumpur (Ireland won toss): Bermuda 221-9 (50 overs) (R Trott 64, M Jones 58 J Hall 3-44); Ireland 201 (48.4 overs) (C Dougherty 70, C Douglas 5-40). Bermuda beat Ireland by 20 runs.
Hawe on target for Wesley
RUGBY: Captain Greg Hawe showed all the leadership in the world to kick Wesley College past Templeogue College 9-7 and into the Leinster Schools' (Section B) Fr Godfrey Junior Cup final at Lakeland's Park, Terenure yesterday.
Scrumhalf Hawe was crafty in his decision making and kicked the three penalties that downed a Templeogue College side that did have the consolation of the only try of the game through tight-head prop Thomas O'Reilly which was converted by outhalf Shane O'Donoghue.
Nonetheless, Wesley will surely be underdogs in the final after St Gerard's School, in the other semi-final, showed a real nose for the tryline in their 22-5 domination of a battling CUS side at Stradbrook.
St Gerard's outhalf Stephen Crosbie, lock Oisin O'Neill, centre Stephen Hackett-Delaney and number eight Jack Conan all pierced the white line for tries.
David Moore crossed for the CUS try but it was not enough to stop a solid St Gerard's side from reaching the final.
