A drawn match against the MCC at the Home of Cricket is the match chosen by Deryck Vincent in the latest of our favourite match series.

A talented left-handed top-order batsman, he played 21 times for Ireland between 1986 and 1991. The Clontarf man never replicated his prolific club form at international level, but did score a half century against Wales making his highest score. He is an excellent sports photographer and two of his sons have played international youth cricket for Ireland.

Deryck in front of the Pavilion at Lord's

My favourite Ireland game is Number 380, when MCC hosted Ireland and my first time to play at Lord's Cricket Ground.

I had not expected to play as I had managed a pair in the opening game of the tour against Gloucestershire and had the rude wake-up call that what we considered fast bowling in the LCU was most definitely not the same fast bowling delivered by David Lawrence.

So when Alec O'Riordan announced the team on the nursery ground, no one was more surprised thank I and thus ensued a frantic hunt for loose change to make the phone call home, from the Pavilion pay phone.

On the field MCC batted and made 238/6 with Garfield Harrison taking the prize wicket of Martin Crowe, a feat he replicated in the second innings as well.

My sister lived in London at that time so it was nice that she was able to be there when it was our turn to bat, though she kept on moving seating so as not to distract me, something that distracted me even more.

After the horrors of the previous game, never was a nudge to fine leg more welcome to get off the mark.

Personally, I was part of a decent opening partnership with Mark Cohen, who scored 88, but as a two-day game it was very difficult to get a result.

Inevitably the game ended as a draw but not before Garfield came within one hit of a Lord's century making 95 in the 2nd innings.