Amy Hunter scored her second one-day international half-century but an Ireland collapse gave Australia a comprehensive 153 runs victory in the World Championship game at Castle Avenue.

Hunter (17) shared a second wicket stand of 89 with Gaby Lewis but from 109 for one in just the 21st over, the hosts lost their last nine wickets for 59 runs as the Australians asserted their superiority.

Following Sunday’s wash-out, this was the first chance for Irish fans to see the best women’s team in the world up close, just a week after they had retained the Ashes, and they did not disappoint.

Ellyse Perry, one of three Aussie batters in the world’s top 10, hit 91 and Ashleigh Gardner from No 6 crashed 65 off 39 balls, including three successive sixes off Cara Murray, as the visitors finished on 321 for seven.

Then, after Lewis and Hunter had given Ireland the perfect response, the bowlers came to the fore and the Ireland middle-late order batters had no answer, with spinners Georgia Wareham and Jess Jonassen, the world number three ranked bowler, taking the last five wickets in nine overs.

But Ireland had their positives from the game, none more so than Georgia Dempsey who was on a hat-trick after dismissing captain Alyssa Healy and Tahlia McGrath in her second over and then returning to deny Perry her century and halting Gardner’s assault to claim her best figures in green.

“The bowling unit created wicket-taking opportunities and Georgia bowled incredibly well to take four wickets,” said skipper Laura Delany, “but we need to reduce the number of boundary balls.”

Thirty fours and 10 sixes was the final count and made up almost 60 per cent of Australia’s total while the Ireland batters had to be content with 15 four and two sixes, both hit by Hunter who earned praised for her captain.

“She has shown huge promise over the last 12 months and is definitely growing in confidence. It’s brilliant to see and gives confidence to the middle order coming in, although obviously we didn’t perform today, but her game is expanding and growing,” added Delany.

Hunter started the match in the field with Mary Waldron, 22 years her senior, returning to the side but the veteran was forced off the field with a calf injury and the Belfast girl kept wicket for the second half of the Australia innings.

There was no update on  Waldron’s injury last night but her place in Friday’s final game of the series, back at Clontarf, must be in doubt.

There was one familiar opponent to the older members of the Ireland side in the Australia line-up with Kim Garth, back on home soil and although she didn’t get a chance to bat, an economical first five overs was rewarded with the wicket of Leah Paul.

Meanwhile, on a busy day of international cricket, Bready’s Gavin Roulston top scored with 67 for Ireland Under 19s as they defeated their Scotland counterparts by 123 runs to confirm a series win ahead of the third game tomorrow.

Scotland returned to the top of the table at the T20 World Cup qualifying tournament with another huge victory yesterday, by 166 runs against Austria but Jersey’s victory over Germany means both Ireland and Scotland need only one more point from their final two games to reach the finals in the USA and West Indies next summer.