ICC/CricketEurope

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Defending champions Ireland opened this year’s European Under-15 1st Division Chamionships in Jersey with a very convincing win, thrashing Denmark by 167 runs at Farmers’ Field.

Despite torrential rain the day before, the pitch was in decent nick and the Irish were able to compile an imposing total of 243 for 7 in their 45 overs, Ryan Hunter leading the way with an excellent 109, made from 125 balls and containing fifteen boundaries.

Although this wasn’t quite a one-man show from Hunter, no one else in the Irish top-order really got on top of the bowling, the next best score in the top six being 19 from Matthew Gillespie. Alex Malcolm-Bourne did, however, play the ideal foil to Hunter and those two put on 79 for the third wicket, a crucial stand given that the Irish had lost both Hugh MacDonnell and Ben Wylie in the space of five minutes.

Towards the end of the innings, Jonathan Andrews – batting at number seven – shifted the momentum even further in Ireland’s favour with a quickfire 42, occupying the crease for only thirty balls while hitting the only maximum of the match as well as five fours.

Of the Danish bowlers, their two off-spinners were the most successful: captain Christian Peck-Thorsted took two middle-order wickets at a cost of 45, while Thomas Brown got through his full quota conceding only 31, an impressive economy rate in the circumstances.

In response, the Danes were on the back foot immediately when Kamran Tariq Mahmood was dismissed by Graeme McCarter in the first over, and though Peck-Thorsted and Brown might have batted well to reach 34 without further loss, the former was then caught behind off Barry McCarthy, and the procession began.

McCarthy and Ryan Sheady both picked up a brace of wickets, while Jonathan Andrews ran through the lower order to end with the enviable figures of 3 for 9 from a ball short of six overs. Ben Wylie’s orthodox slow-left-arm was even more parsimonious, yielding only five runs as many overs.

Ireland today evinced why they are regarded by many as the favourites in this tournament, and they were clearly the superior side. Denmark, on the other hand, will surely seek to regroup, identify areas in which they can improve, and strive to better this performance when they take on Guernsey on Wednesday,