Holland were sent in and they were the first to look like winning at 182 for three in over 44, with Zulfiqar on 87. Then came a total collapse, seven wickets going down for 35 runs in five overs, McCallan, McCoubrey and run outs leading the way. 217 was below par and 10 balls were not used.

At 76 for four, with the two Joyces out, Ireland looked like losing. Molins and McCallan then added 89 in 16 overs and the pair were coasting to a win with 53 required in 10 overs. Molins played to extra cover. A misfield led to a single but there was never the second run the slow footed Molins called. 15 runs later McCallan got a leading edge to be caught at mid-on. Davy stood fast but Mooney and Mark Patterson both played across the line and contributed only three runs between them.

Now came Matt Dwyer. 28 were needed in 28 balls. Davy hit two fours, the 46th over gave up six as did the 47th. Four came in the 48th and six singles in the 49th. Six needed in the last over. Dwyer faced Lefebvre, the Dutch captain. A misfield at mid-wicket allowed two, then a leg bye brought Davy, 30 not out, to face and three were needed off four balls. The third ball was drilled at mid-on. Dwyer ran but sent back, rightly so, and had no chance of regaining his ground.

Now the game changed. Davy could not expose the number 11, McCoubrey. The fourth ball was mistimed - no run. Davy went down the pitch, head up, to the fifth ball and was stumped. The Irish were devastated and all hope was gone with this two run defeat.

For this match, played in cold, windy conditions, Ireland only had 11 fit men. Curry had been sent home while Eagleson (back) and Heasley (knee) could take no further part in the Tournament. If the match had been won Ireland would have had to send for two out of three possibles, Gary Neely, Mark Gillespie and Conor Armstrong, For this match James Fitzgerald, Irish Cricket Union's P.R.O. acted as 12th man.

It was the 12th of July and the match was -v- the orange of Holland! Ireland's Northern supporters led a mock parade from their bus to the Irish player's tent! Ireland sent Holland in and for a long time it looked a bad idea, Van Oosterom and Zulfiqar opened to Mooney and McCoubrey. Van Oosterom dominated the early overs. He hit five fours in nine overs but Zulfiqar had a torrid time when McCoubrey's third over to him was a maiden. Then came a run out. Zulfiqar played to Ed Joyce in the covers. Van Oosterom set off, was sent back, but Joyce's throw to Dwyer, covering for McCoubrey, ran Van Oosterom out. 32-1-25.

Next ball went through McCallan's hands at second slip and Zulfiqar had a let off which proved very expensive. He made 71 more runs! Patterson and Dwyer were the next bowlers and 50 was up in over 15. Zulfiqar, now partnered by the Australian Bradley, began to open up but a chance to run him out was missed at 89 when the wicket keeper's throw to Dwyer was too high. 100 was up in over 24 but the second wicket fell in over 25 when Bradley was stumped off Dwyer. 111-2-25.

De Leede was next and Zulfiqar reached 50 in over 26. McCallan bowled the 28th over and saw Zulfiqar, then 56, play on without removing a bail. Another run out chance was missed at 149 in over 36. McCallan, the bowler, would have run out De Leede if he had caught the fielder's return. De Leede celebrated with a straight six off White but was bowled attempting to drive McCallan two overs later. 163-3-20. The tall big hitting left handed Van Troost was next. He and Zulfiqar put on 19 in five overs. Then McCallan took the wicket which turned the Dutch innings. He caught and bowled Zulfiqar on a low catch, one handed diving to his right. 182-4-87. Zulfiqar hit six fours and faced 125 balls. 43.2 overs had been bowled.

White had bowled six overs for 28. Then Van Troost hit him for two straight sixes and Van Noortwijk hit a four in the same over. This was the 45th over and the score had gone from 184 in 44 to 201 in 45. There were five overs to go and Holland had only four wickets down. Those six wickets were lost in 20 balls for only 16 more runs. McCallan took his third wicket in his last over, the 46th, Van Troost, on the walk, was bowled by the first ball. 201-3-22. Mooney replaced White for the 47th over. Lefebvre was brilliantly caught, two handed over his head, by McCoubrey at mid-wicket off the fifth ball. 210-6-5.

The 48th over, McCoubrey's, was sensational. Three wickets fell on the second, third and fourth balls. Van Noortwijk square drove the first ball for four. He was caught at long-on by Dwyer off the second ball. Scholte was run out off the third ball when McCallan hit the bowler's wicket from mid-off. The fourth ball bowled Esmeijer. Three wickets, the 7th, 8th and 9th had fallen at 216. Another run out on the second ball of the 49th over brought the innings to a close at 217. Khan was run out when Dom Joyce, from deep gully, returned to the wicket-keeper.

Ireland used six bowlers. Patterson and White were expensive. The other four all did well. They took seven wickets between them with McCallan and McCoubrey outstanding. Run out chances were missed as was a vital slip chance offered by Zulfiqar.

23 overs into Ireland's innings one would not have bet on a win. Four were out for 76 and the rate was no more than three per over. Andy Patterson, down the pitch, drove Khan to extra cover at 11 and White had made only one when he played on to Khan off the inside edge. Molins was twice nearly run out on his own calls, a portent of things to come. Lefebvre bowled only three overs and Molins hit his replacement, Van Troost, for six over long on. There was a 39 run stand between Molins and Dom Joyce of which the latter made but 15 and Molins hit four fours and was in prime form. 50 was up in 16 overs. The medium paced De Leede came on. In his second over Dom Joyce hit him for four past mid-on and was caught and bowled low down by the next ball. 63-3-15.

13 runs later Ed Joyce was out to slow left armer Esmeijer pulling low to mid-on's left. He had been dropped at slip off the first ball he faced. 76-4-6 in the 24th over. Now came McCallan to join Molins. Both were in great form and the score rose rapidly. In over 29 100 came up as did 50 for Molins. Holland switched bowlers but to no avail. McCallan hit Esmeijer for a mid-wicket six and Ireland got to a four runs per over rate after 34 overs. 150 arrived in over 37 but the 40th over brought the disastrous run out of Molins, entirely his own fault. 165-5-93. His 93 was the highest Irish score. He faced only 115 balls and hit a six and nine fours.

Davy came in and 15 were put on in four overs when McCallan got a leading edge to mid-on off Van Troost. Mc-Callan's 41 off 57 balls was his best innings of the season. More was expected from Mooney and Mark Patterson than they actually produced at this critical time. They both hit across the ball and were both lbw, Mooney at 187 in over 45 and Patterson at 190 in over 46. Dwyer arrived to join Davy (now 15) with 28 needed from 28 balls. Six of these were obtained in the rest of the over in which Patterson was dismissed, including a swept four by Davy.

De Leede bowled his last over and six more were scored including another sweep for four by Davy, Now 16 needed off 18 balls. Lefebvre's next over brought four runs, all singles. 12 needed from 12 balls as Khan, the opening bowler, came to bowl the 49th over. Every ball yielded a single. Then came the fatal, last over which began so well for Ireland and is described above.

Ireland's attempt to qualify for the World Cup in South Africa in 2003 was over. One consolation was McCallan being named Man-of-the Match for his runs and three wickets.

Ireland and Holland met in both the previous ICC Trophy Tournaments, in Nairobi in 1994 and Kuala Lumpur in 1997. Ireland had no survivor in 2001 from the 1994 match and two, the Patterson brothers, from the 1997 match, Holland did much better. Four played in both matches - Van Oosterom, De Leede, Lefebvre and Scholte while Zulfiqar and Khan played in 1997.

Derek Scott