Ireland made a losing start to their Nagico Super50 campaign when they went down by a comprehensive 114 run margin to Guyana at the Queen's Park Oval Trinidad. Batting first Guyana racked up an imposing 301 for 3 in their 50 overs, with the top order all scoring half centuries.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Trevon Griffith laid the perfect platform with an opening stand of 129 in 29.2 overs. Griffith hit 62 from 96 balls (5 fours, 1 six), before being well caught by Max Sorensen off the bowling of Kevin O'Brien. Chanderpaul stroked 79 from 113 balls (7 fours, 1 six) before O'Brien struck again, Tim Murtagh taking the routine catch. The total at that stage was 160-2 with just 12 overs left, and the Irish must have hoped to restrict Guyana to under 250.

However the blitzkrieg that followed saw the Irish attack smashed to all parts of the ground as a mammoth 141 were added in just 72 balls. Ramnaresh Sarwan was the destroyer-in-chief as he clubbed a Man of the Match unbeaten 89 from just 62 balls (10 fours, 4 sixes). He shared partnerships of 65 in 36 balls with Christopher Barnwell (31), and 76 in 33 balls with Leon Johnson (27*), as the Irish attack disintegrated.

Kevin O'Brien (3-56) was the only Irish bowler to get amongst the wickets, but Andy McBrine (10-0-34-0) bowled with admirable control. Niall O'Brien, opening the innings in the absence of Paul Stirling (hamstring injury), lasted just five balls before being trapped lbw for 4, and it got worse for the Irish when skipper William Porterfield departed in the same fashion just six balls later with no addition to the total.

Gary Wilson (5) and Alex Cusack (12) didn't last long, and at 27 for 4, Ireland were looking at complete humiliation. Andrew Poynter and Kevin O'Brien set about turning things around with an entertaining 59 run stand before O'Brien became the third lbw victim of the innings, having made 39 from 35 balls (5 fours, 1 six).

Clontarf batsman Poynter justified his recall to the international fold by top scoring with 54 from 65 balls (5 fours,2 sixes), before being run out following a mix up with Max Sorensen. Sorensen (29) struck a few late blows, but Ireland were eventually dismissed in the 39th over for 187.

Paul Wintz (3-30) was the most successful of the Guyana attack, while there were two wickets apiece for Beaton and Deonarine.

Report by CricketEurope