IRELAND beat Holland by three wickets in Copenhagen yesterday to take the European Championship title and complete an impressive July double. Captain Justin Benson, who lifted the Triple Crown in Wales two weeks ago, was in the thick of a confident all round performance that was too strong in every department for a patchy Dutch side.
Benson confirmed that he is now the lynch pin of Ireland's batting with a stylish 79 his highest score in an international and while he was at the crease there was never any question about the inadequacy of Holland's 223 for nine.
The former Leicestershire bats man was happy to play a fairly noisy second fiddle in a second wicket partnership of 60 with Decker Curry and then assumed command when the pinch hitter unluckily played on, via bat and pad, after thumping 55 off 47 balls.
Benson entertained a good sized crowd at the Brondby stadium with two sixes in his total of eight boundaries. With Angus Dunlop finding the right mix of aggression and common sense, the runs flowed to the point where Ireland required only 81 from their last 25 overs.
It all looked too easy and of course it was as Dunlop became the first of three bats men to offer unnecessary catches. When Neil Doak edged a catch to the wicket keeper Ireland had lost a cool head and Benson, realising that an asking rate of barely three an over did not require anything fancy, looked on in horror as Derek Heasley directed a long hop straight into square leg's hands.
Then Benson clipped his 93rd ball to mid wicket. It was a well struck shot but in the circumstances, Benson knew it should have been hit higher or along the ground. Uel Graham quickly followed and just for a moment Ireland coach Mike Hendrick must have feared the worst.
However, the confidence that" Hendrick has instilled in his team, was the deciding factor, as Ryan Eagleson and Alan Rutherford pushed and occasionally bludgeoned the final 28 runs.
. It remains to be seen whether Just in Benson will make it home in time to play for Malahide against YMCA in the River House League today.
In the excitement of Ireland's European Cup triumph in Copenhagen, Benson missed his connecting flight and will now find it difficult to make it to Claremont Road by 1.00 p.m. It might be some consolation to Malahide to know that YM will be without Angus Dunlop for similar reasons.
