Cricket Inter-Continental Cup: Bowling with discipline, fielding with fierce commitment and batting with relentless concentration made this a day to remember for Ireland's cricketers as they all but assured their place in the final of the Inter-Continental Cup starting on Thursday.
Trent Johnston will recall this day particularly fondly. On his debut as Ireland captain, the Clontarf all-rounder took four early wickets in the morning session, ending with figures of five for 33 and ensuring that his team took a 161-run lead into the second innings.
Bowling within himself, off a shortened run, Johnston put the ball on the perfect line and length and, as the pressure built on the United Arab Emirates' batsmen, mistakes came. Johnston's fifth wicket rearranged Fahad al-Hashimi's off stump, sparked animated celebrations from the skipper and concluded what was a very impressive time in the field for him and his team.
"It was okay," he said modestly. "Conditions suited me today as the ball was swinging around a bit more. We took a couple of good catches as well - it was nice to take the half-chances. I thought we did well as a team out there today. To get six wickets in a session on a very good batting wicket was great for us," he said.
But in many ways, the best was yet to come when Ireland batted for the second time. Dom Joyce was forced to retire hurt early on when he was struck on the head by a bouncer and Eoin Morgan was trapped lbw having scored just 10 but after that it was all Ireland. Jeremy Bray scored a century, his second in consecutive matches for Ireland, and ended unbeaten on 169, the second highest score ever for Ireland, beating Sir Timothy O'Brien's 167 against Oxford University in 1902.
Supporting Bray at the wicket all afternoon was Niall O'Brien, who was also unbeaten by the close of play on 118. Bray and O'Brien put on an unbeaten stand of 269 - an Irish record for any wicket - and Ireland now have what is surely an unassailable lead of 467 over the UAE, with nine wickets in hand.
The question being asked last night was whether the UAE would bother turning up for more punishment this morning so hopeless is their cause and they cut pretty miserable figures chasing leather around Wanderers Sports Club in the baking sun all afternoon.
The way the complicated system of bonus points is set up, Ireland will progress through to the final even if they only draw the match. The longer Ireland bat today the less likely they are of winning the match outright but Bray will be given the chance to beat Ivan Anderson's 32-year individual scoring record of 198 as a "winning draw" would be enough for the skipper. He has no interest in a sporting declaration.
"There's no point risking our bowlers by declaring too early just because we want to win outright. Our aim coming into this match was getting to the final and that is what we intend to do," he said. "I think we'll keep going until lunch anyway, maybe even a bit after lunch. I don't think we should give them any sort of sniff of victory."
The other semi-final is a closer affair with Bermuda staging a good comeback, batting their way to 346 for nine, 57 runs short of Kenya. At the close of play Kenya were 85 for one in their second innings.
