Bigger than the Ashes - England v Ireland

[Kevin S]

I don't think we can even say cricket was the real winner here.

[Etienne]

I think cricket was the winner for three innings. The last one was only good for Broad and Woakes' stats.

[Kevin S]

Good point. Well, that's why it's a two innings game I suppose.

First one, England 85 Ireland 207
Second one, England 303 Ireland 38

Not sure I'm feeling too chipper about the Ashes at this point though.

[Janik]

First one, Hick XII 120, Haddin XII 105
Second one, Hick 156-5, Haddin 170

Top score in the test - 92. And in the warm-up game - 93*.

Day 3 tickets look like a waste of money...

[Duncan Gardner]

Very disappointing but yet hilarious- little beats a good choke

Possibly even more leaden than the grey clouds over Lord's- various efforts to draw some sort of parallel to wider political events...

Essentially, NI cricketers are usually mediocre, occasionally spectacularly good or bad as in this game.The mediocrity explains why we regular watchers were never really confident of a win. As for our Southern friends, the failure to find 3 men who can reach that low standard hardly ensures a successful future for the sport

[Satchmo Distel]

15.4 overs is the shortest completed Test innings since 1924, encompassing 2199 Tests. Lowest score since 1955, a gap of 1950 Tests.

The one good thing is that it happened in the 4th innings rather than Ireland batting 1st and doing it.

Why is Leach the MotM rather than Woakes?

[George C.]

Very disappointing but yet hilarious- little beats a good choke


Essentially, NI cricketers are usually mediocre, occasionally spectacularly good or bad as in this game.The mediocrity explains why we regular watchers were never really confident of a win. As for our Southern friends, the failure to find 3 men who can reach that low standard hardly ensures a successful future for the sport

Can anyone, bar the author, explain?

If only because I thought this was an All Ireland team, surely a good thing for a side with such a limited potential playing pool?

[Etienne]

Why is Leach the MotM rather than Woakes?

I think the evidence suggests that Broad would have bowled Ireland out without Woakes, whereas without Leach England would have only just avoided an innings defeat. Woakes also failed twice with the bat and didn't bowl well in the first innings.

[Satchmo Distel]

Thanks. Yes, it's not inconceivable that a second sub-150 England score was on the cards had both openers been exposed early. Roy didn't have to bat until the 11th over.

Interestingly Bairstow bagged a pair as batsman-keeper. Maybe England should have him opening with Roy?

[pebblethefish]

Neither keeper scored a run in the test match - possibly a first?

[Hot Pepsi]

15.4 overs is the shortest completed Test innings since 1924, encompassing 2199 Tests. Lowest score since 1955, a gap of 1950 Tests.

The one good thing is that it happened in the 4th innings rather than Ireland batting 1st and doing it.

Why is Leach the MotM rather than Woakes?

A colleague of mine was at the match today. Took the day off to go. Hope it was still worth it.

[Hot Pepsi]

Very disappointing but yet hilarious- little beats a good choke

Possibly even more leaden than the grey clouds over Lord's- various efforts to draw some sort of parallel to wider political events...

Essentially, NI cricketers are usually mediocre, occasionally spectacularly good or bad as in this game.The mediocrity explains why we regular watchers were never really confident of a win. As for our Southern friends, the failure to find 3 men who can reach that low standard hardly ensures a successful future for the sport

So NI players play for Ireland?

[Hot Pepsi]

Neither keeper scored a run in the test match - possibly a first?

What's the slang term for a guy scoring zero runs in both of his at-bats? That must be fairly rare at this level.


In baseball, four strikeouts in a game is called a Golden Sombrero. The idea being that if three is a hat-trick, then four must be the most impressive hat imaginable.

The very very rare five strikeouts in a game is called the Platinum Sombrero or the Olympic Rings, apparently.

[Ray de Galles]

A colleague of mine was at the match today. Took the day off to go. Hope it was still worth it.

A mate of mine went today too, he joked in advance that it made up for having to give up his World Cup Final ticket because he couldn't get away from a family camping trip.

He said it was a bit rubbish really, the game was over before they finished the food & drink they'd taken and it was clear from the start it was horrible batting weather.

Two other friends travelled up together for the opening day and said it was one of the most enjoyable days they've ever had at cricket though, that's sport.

[ursus arctos]

To be dismissed for nought in both innings of the same two-innings match is to be dismissed for a pair,^[20] because the two noughts together are thought to resemble a pair of spectacles; the longer form is occasionally used.^[21] To be dismissed first ball in both innings (i.e., two golden ducks) is to suffer the indignity of making a king pair.^[13]

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

So NI players play for Ireland?

Only the Football associations seem to recognize that there are actually two countries on this island. Either you were a mostly nationalist sporting organization like the GAA in which case you were refusing to recognize the existence of the Northern irish state, or you were a sport mostly played by upper class Protestants/castle catholics like rugby, golf, cricket, tennis, hockey.... in which case you were trying to pretend that independence never happened. either way they remained national bodies.

Nobody cares much about those distinctions now, at least not down here. You sometimes hear people complaining that they have to play Ireland's call at rugby matches (A dirge written for the job) instead of the irish national anthem, and those people invariably get slapped down for being an idiot, and are told to have manners and some consideration for the various ulster unionists that are in the team.

[Flynnie]

Snooker, weirdly, is also partitioned.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Very disappointing but yet hilarious- little beats a good choke

Oh I don't know Duncan. It might just have been the perfect form of trolling. The only thing worse than being bowled out at home faster than you've ever been, is being bowled out by a team so bad that they're about to be bowled out faster than anyone ever. The footballing equivalent of this would be England going 3-0 down to gibraltar in the first ten minutes at wembley and bravely battling back to a 6-4 victory.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Snooker, weirdly, is also partitioned.

So that would suggest that sports popular with the working classes of both communities wound up being partitioned. What is the situation around boxing?

[Flynnie]

Boxing’s all-Ireland, IIIRC.

[Hot Pepsi]

How does that work in the Olympics? I'd expect that NI boxers or competitors in any other Olympic sport would compete for Great Britain just like Scottish or Welsh athletes.

[diggedy derek]

Hot Pepsi, there are several variations on duck you won't be surprised to hear: the duck being a score of zero, golden duck being dismissed first ball, and then there are diamond and platinum (etc) ducks which can various be eg getting dismissed for the first ball of an innings, or probably the worst situation of all, being run-out without facing a ball.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

How does that work in the Olympics? I'd expect that NI boxers or competitors in any other Olympic sport would compete for Great Britain just like Scottish or Welsh athletes.

Northern Irish boxers, from areas so aggressively republican that Gerry Adams is justifiably afraid to go there, have no problems fighting in the commonwealth games for Northern Ireland. And Probably have received medals to the tune of GSTQ. It's just another international competition to compete in, so they compete for whoever will get them into that competition. sometimes its easier to get into the GB boxing team for the olympics. At a certain point, most fairly serious amateur sport people would represent ISIS, if it would get them into the olympics.

[Hot Pepsi]

Northern Irish boxers, from areas so aggressively republican that Gerry Adams is justifiably afraid to go there, have no problems fighting in the commonwealth games for Northern Ireland. And Probably have received medals to the tune of GSTQ. It's just another international competition to compete in, so they compete for whoever will get them into that competition. sometimes its easier to get into the GB boxing team for the olympics. At a certain point, most fairly serious amateur sport people would represent ISIS, if it would get them into the olympics.

Yeah, but I mean, who are they "supposed" to represent. Under the rules.

[Flynnie]

Isn’t it a Londonderry Air (aka Danny Boy) for the Commonwealth Games?

Michael Conlon had no problems fighting for NI in the Commonwealth Games (he fought for the Republic in the Olymocis) and he walked out to the ring as a professional to a Wolfe Tones song singing Up the RA.

I know some athletes try and do the Barry McGuigan approach of studiously trying not to be too nationalist, it’s clear Rory McIlroy is inspired by that.