CRICKET/Intercontinental Cup: In a day of cricketing excitement at Old Trafford where England and Australia reduced at least two nations to bags of nerves, an even more pulsating and event-strewn day's play was going on in Aberdeen.

This InterContinental Cup match between Ireland and Scotland had been a lacklustre and largely one-sided affair in the hosts' favour until after tea on the third day yesterday. Through a mixture of poor Irish batting and good Scottish bowling on a minefield of a wicket, Ireland set the Scots a very modest total of 135 to win with 39 overs remaining in the day.

Something happened to Jason Molins and his team and they emerged with determination.

Adrian McCoubrey steamed in from the pavilion end with a quality display of fast bowling that terrified the Scots and gave the Irish real belief. He kept hitting the right spot just short of a length and in a devastating eight-over spell, he took 4-17 with a total of just 34 runs on the board. Suddenly it was game on.

Stephen Knox batted well for his 34 but wickets kept falling and by that stage the advantage had shifted away from the home team.

But then Scotland skipper Craig Wright strode to the crease, batting at number nine because of a broken finger sustained while batting in the first innings.

His team were all but dead, needing 19 off the 12 remaining balls, with just one wicket in hand and with the number 11 batsman facing. They scrambled a leg-bye off the first ball of Kyle McCallan's over and then Wright proceeded to hit a two and then two huge sixes over mid-on to leave just four to win and eight balls to do it. A dot ball followed and then, off the last ball of the over, Wright hit it along the ground back to McCallan. The bowler turned around, removed the bails with Dewald Nel backing up too far out of his ground.

This puts Ireland in the box seat as they seek qualification for the knock-out stages of this competition in Namibia at the end of October. If they can avoid defeat in Stormont against the Netherlands starting this day week, they will be there.

But for much of this match, they looked like they would come second. A 44-run partnership for the tenth wicket in the first innings, coupled with some negative Scottish batting when their turn came in the first innings were crucial to this result.

But even then, it wasn't until McCoubrey broke through the Scots second time around that the Irish dared to contemplate a draw, let alone victory.

Overnight: Ireland (1st Innings) 172 all out, 70.1 overs (G Thompson 35, K McCallan 32, D Joyce 31, J Bray 29; C Wright 4-38, R Watson 2-11, P Hoffman 2-35) and 43 for 2 Scotland 234 for 9 dec, 82.3 overs (C English 66, N MacRae 44, S Knox 38; P Mooney 2-26, A Botha 2-43)

IRELAND

second innings, continued

J Molins c Maiden b Watson 18

J Bray c sub b Nel 1

A Botha c Watts b Hoffman 46

D Joyce lbw Nel 61

P Gillespie c Nel b Watson 16

C Armstrong lbw Watson 12

K McCallan c Watson b Nel 10

P Mooney c Watson b Maiden 6

G Wilson c Watts b Maiden 11

G Thompson lbw Maiden 6

A McCoubrey not out 1

Extras (1b, 6lb, 1nb) 8

Total (all out, 75.1 overs) 196

Fall: 10, 46, 96, 131, 159, 167, 174, 182, 189 Bowling: Hoffman 18-5-33-1, Nel 15-7-30-3, Weeraratna 8-2-21-0, Watson 18-2-64-3, Maiden 12.1-5-24-3, Wright 4-1-17-0

SCOTLAND

second innings

S Knox c Molins b Botha 34

F Watts c Mooney b McCoubrey 2

N MacRae b McCoubrey 0

R Watson c Mooney b McCoubrey 7

C Smith c Wilson b McCoubrey 3

C English c Thompson b McCallan

P Hoffman c McCoubrey b Botha 0

G Maiden b McCallan 17

C Wright not out 31

S Weeraratna run out 6

D Nel run out 0

Extras (2lb, 4nb) 6

Total (all out, 38 overs) 131

Fall: 11, 15, 28, 34, 69, 69, 78, 102, 116 Bowling: Botha 10-0-38-2, Mooney 10-0-20-0, McCoubrey 8-2-17-4, McCallan 9-0-54-2. Ireland won by 3 runs