It can only rarely be said that a dropped catch definitely lost a match. Such was Ireland's misfortune on this sunny, windy day. At 83-7, Masood, the only slip, dropped a knee-high catch offered by Warner off Harrison. At 83-8 Ireland would surely have won. Instead the eighth wicket fell at 168! McEvoy replaced Ormrod for Worcestershire. Ireland bowled and fielded very well before lunch but then lost control in the face of Warner's onslaught. Monteith only bowled five overs which meant Anderson had to bowl seven off which 50 were scored. Even Corlett suffered, having 26 taken off his last three overs. Harrison, in his fourth over, had McEvoy caught behind the wicket at 12. Then Corlett bowled Patel in his sixth over and had Scott LBW in his eight and last over of his opening spell. The score was 14-3 and should Corlett have been bowled out? Halliday and Prior came on and each bowled out their 12 overs during which Halliday took three wickets and Prior one. Worcester were reduced to 56-7 and were 67-7 at lunch after 37 overs had been bowled.

With his second ball Halliday had Weston caught at slip. 25-4. In his fourth over Halliday bowled D'Oliveira. 36-5. At 40 Prior chipped in when Corlett caught a good catch at slip off Neale. 16 runs later, and in his ninth over, Halliday induced Illingworth into a slip catch. This batsman had previously given Monteith a much harder chance at slip off Halliday. At lunch, Humphries, the last of the batsmen, was nine and Warner six. 19 minutes had been lost to a shower when the score was 53-6. Prior and Halliday finished their 12 over spells after lunch, conceding only 19 runs each. Corlett bowled a maiden. Monteith and Harrison came on. Warner began to increase his tempo after the dropped slip catch. A six in the same over took him to 20 off 45 deliveries. Every over now began to yield a lot of runs with Anderson and Monteith and Harrison unable to stem the flow. Warner reached 50 off 75 balls at 146. Corlett was recalled for the 55th over but was hit for 11. In the next over Anderson had Humphries stumped for 44. The stand had realised 112 in 74 minutes and Warner was now 65.

Corlett bowled Ellcock in the 59th over at 177. Warner arrived at the last over, bowled by Anderson, on 84. He hit two sixes and a single to take him to 97 but could not score off the last two balls. 205-9 was the final total - but, oh, the might have beens! Warner's 97 included five sixes and 12 fours. It came in 18 minutes off 100 balls, the last 47 in 14 minutes off the unfortunate Corlett and Anderson. Ireland never reached the striking rate required of 3 ½ runs per over. At the end of the 60 overs, which for once they had succeeded in batting out, the score was 162-8. It was Harrison who made this even possible. He came in in the 44th over when the score was 90-6 and scored 36 out of 60, being out off the last ball of the 57th over. The 17 year old Ellcock beat Short for pace in his second over. 4-1. He induced Masood, who batted number three, to hook without getting his feet right in his fifth over. 25-2. Cohen and Anderson went along quietly and, by tea, after 25 overs, Ireland were 61-2, Cohen 12, Anderson 26. The score crept to 74 in the 32nd over with the spinners Illingworth and Patel bowling their full 12 over stints.

Four wickets fell while 16 were added. Cohen, trying to increase the pace, drove to mid-on off Illingworth. 74-3-16. Anderson was caught and bowled by Patel for a well made 37 (which took 92 minutes) with the score at 80. Prior (0) played on to Illingworth at 82 and Monteith was run out at 90, with Wills at fault. Harrison now joined Wills and began to attack. D'Oliveira was hit for 20 in four overs as Harrison used his feet to drive him through the field.

After 48 were added Warner replaced Illingworth and saw Wills run out in his first over. 138-7-22. Ellcock also came back and the run rate slowed again. In his second over Ellcock bowled Harrison who swung wildly. 150-8. Harrison had made 36 in 48 minutes with four fours out of the 11 hit in the innings. Corlett and Jackson added another 12 before the 60 overs were finished. Ellcock had 3-19 in his nine overs. Illingworth, slow left arm, had 2-13 in 12 overs. In the two matches Illingworth bowled 21 overs to a 6-3 leg side field and a short boundary and yet had no 4 struck off him. Man-of-the-Match awards went to Warner and Corlett (watches). There was another poor crowd.

Derek Scott