Ireland's first trip overseas by Gerry Byrne

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Scorecard:

Marylebone Cricket Club v Ireland

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DateLine: 18th June 2006

 

This was the first time a bona fide Irish team had crossed the seas and fittingly it was for a match at Lords – and even more fittingly the Match was won by an Innings. The Lord Lieutenant, the Earl of Carlisle, was there to see the victory. Although three of the Irish players were playing for Ireland for the first (and only) time (Hume, Bruen and Packenham) it was nevertheless a strong XI. J.McCormick and W.H.Johnston were both playing for the last time, and McCormick’s innings of 34 was by far the highest of the match, while Johnston’s wicket-keeping “won the admiration of all”. R.A.Fitzgerald played for Ireland in this game. It was the first of his three appearances at Lords, where he was later the Secretary of M.C.C. The Hon. S.B.C.Ponsonby was also playing his first match for Ireland. He later became the Hon. S.B.C.Ponsonby-Fane. He was a founder of I Zingari in 1845, President of Somerset C.C.C. and Treasurer of M.C.C. from 1879 to his death, aged 91, in 1915.

 

M.C.C. had A.P.Law, who called himself “Infelix”, and who had scored 59 for Oxford v Cambridge in 1857; the famous Arthur Haygarth, better known as the compiler of “Scores and Biographies” to which he devoted his life. He was quite a good batsman and stayed in with Richard Hankey when that great player had made his famous 70 for Gentlemen v Players in 1857. When J.McCormick had been Cambridge’s captain in 1856, his opposite number for Oxford was Alfred Payne who had been very successful with the bat is his four Varsity Matches. Alfred’s brother A.F. also played for M.C.C. in this match. He had played for Oxford in 1855.

 

Haygarth’s description of this match says it was played in a “sea of mud”. The weather was very poor and the crowd small when the first day’s play began at noon. Boothby (12) and Law (14) opened the innings but the next highest score was 6 and M.C.C. were all out for 53. Lawrence in 23 overs took 8 for 32 and all eight were clean bowled. Doyle and Quinn, Ireland’s openers, were together at lunch, taken at 3.p.m. Heavy rain prevented play after lunch and Ireland started the second day at 19 for 0 wicket, Doyle 6, Quinn 8.

 

An 11 a.m. start was made on the second day in better weather. After some excellent batting, particularly between McCormick and Ponsonby, Ireland totalled 120. M.C.C. used 5 bowlers, Law taking 4 for 29 in 23 overs, and Hartnell in 6.3 overs at the end of the Innings took 3 for 9. M.C.C. fared very little better in their second innings and were all out for 57. A.F.Payne made 11, and F.Compton (allowed to bat instead of Capt. Wyatt) made 11 not out. Lawrence and McCormick bowled unchanged but it took 63 overs to dismiss M.C.C. this time as against 45 overs in the first innings. A good crowd watched the second day’s play.