An historic day as Ireland saw three players score centuries in the same innings for the first and only time back in 2008 against Kenya. Joe Doherty was there to photograph it for posterity.

The background to that special pic on a special day was that I was asked to travel with the Ireland team on Intercontinental Cup duty in Kenya in 2008. I was Chair of the Cricket Committee at the time and was deputising for John Caldwell who was President that year.

Along with Ian Callender, I was the only other Irish person outside of the official playing squad at threground. That is, until the last day when a supporter from Bray made himself known to me at the pavilion, but sin scéal eile, as they say in Gweedore.

We flew with British Airways to Nairobi, but unfortunately my one piece of checked luggage took the slow boat route and didn’t arrive until the fifth day of our stay.

‘Wear, wash, dry, repeat’ became the mantra for my week in the Hyatt Regency.

On the field, the Irish batsmen excelled in the bright, sunny conditions on Day 1 and racked up over 500 in the day with superb centuries from the O’Brien brothers, Niall and Kevin, and Andre Botha.

Andre Botha, Niall O'Brien and Kevin O'Brien

Three different batsmen, three different styles - I remember Botha being particularly swashbuckling that day - but three dream outcomes for each and, of course, for the team.

The fact that two brothers had scored tons for Ireland on the same day was noteworthy enough but when we realised we had three centurions on a foreign field, that was a definite photo opportunity and, as Robin Walsh would say, ‘where there’s an opportunity, you’ll always find an opportunist!’

At close of play, it was a ‘no brainer’ for me to capture not only the triple achievements of our batsmen but also the mammoth team total that was to set up a great victory against a formidable team in its own back yard.

Luckily, I had a decent little Kodak digital camera with me. I say luckily because I was a ‘press pack’ of ONE in the photography department.

Anyway, back to the match. It turned out to be a race against the clock for Ireland to bowl the Kenyans out twice in good conditions. Regan West and Kyle McCallan seemed to bowl hundreds of overs and, in the last session of the final day, skipper Trent Johnston had all our fielders crowded around the bat.

The pavilion at Nairobi Gymkhana is sideways on to the play, like Clontarf and Stormont, so I found myself stationed at the long off boundary when Regan was bowling to tailenders who were trying to block it out for the draw. So, when Kyle bowled from the other end, I was specialist ‘fine leg’, just over the rope, of course.

More than once I was able to help the cause by getting the ball back to the leg trap cordon, saving precious seconds as the end drew nigh.

In the end, all was well and I was able to celebrate briefly with Ciaran from Bray, but, as I say, that’ll keep for another day.