CRICKET/INTERCONTINENTAL CUP: IRELAND'S ATTEMPT to move up the Intercontinental Cup table were hampered by both the weather and competition rules after their match against Canada ended in a draw yesterday.
No play was possible on the final day after Saturday's deluge had left the ground under water, with the match called off shortly after the scheduled start of play yesterday with both sides earning three points.
Bizarrely, Scotland and Kenya were both awarded 10 points each after their game in Glasgow was abandoned without a ball being bowled.
That puts Kenya four points ahead of Ireland in the table and they will have a chance to put further daylight between the teams when they travel to The Netherlands next weekend.
Ireland take a break from the competition until October, when they travel to Africa for a tough double-header against table-toppers Namibia before finishing their campaign with a game against Kenya. The top two teams will meet in the final, scheduled for Dubai in November.
Skipper Kyle McCallan summed up the frustration in the Ireland camp after just 141 overs were possible in the match.
"It's very disappointing, I think if we had four days play we would have won. We never make it easy on ourselves in this competition and we've had to overcome obstacles in the past to win it.
"We'll have to go to Africa and get some results but this side is well capable of that," said McCallan.
Ireland did get a sniff of the six bonus points on offer for a first-innings lead after Peter Connell took two quick wickets to reduce Canada to 52 for five when play got under way on Saturday afternoon.
It proved a false dawn in the end as Geoff Barnett and Sunil Dhaniram saw out the remaining 30 overs in an unbeaten sixth-wicket partnership of 89.
Meanwhile, Niall O'Brien and Gary Wilson return to the squad for tomorrow's One Day International against Canada at Castle Avenue.
Alex Cusack has recovered from bronchitis and will play on his home ground, while left-arm spinner Gary Kidd is also included in the 13-man squad.
IRELAND: First innings 326-6 dec (88 ovs) (A White 109no, K O'Brien 75, P Stirling 40; S Welsh 2-89).
CANADA: First innings:
G Barnett not out 35
R Gunasekera run out (McCallan) 0
M Iqbal c Poynter b McCallan 18
A Faridi b McCallan 0
Q Ali c McAllister b Connell 2
A Kandappah c White b Connell 5
S Dhaniram not out 70
Extras (lb 10 nb 1) 11
Total (for 5 wkts, 53 ovs) 141
Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-27, 3-27, 4-46, 5-52.
Bowling: P Connell 12-4-33-2; K O'Brien 6-4-5-0; K McCallan 20-6-53-2; T Johnston 11-4-16-0; G Thompson 4-1-24-0.
Match drawn, three points each.
At Titwood, Glasgow: Scotland v Kenya. Match abandoned without a ball bowled. Ten points each.
PWDLAbanPts
Namibia5500082
Scotland7321182
Kenya5301176
Ireland5320072
Netherlands6302048
Canada7115029
UAE7116029
Bermuda6105026
IRELAND (Squad for ODI v Canada, Clontarf, Tomorrow, 10.45) — K McCallan (Waringstown, Capt), A Botha (North County), P Connell (North Down), A Cusack (Clontarf), T Fourie (Railway Union), G Kidd (Waringstown), K O'Brien (Railway Union), N O'Brien (Northamptonshire, wkts), A Poynter (Clontarf), P Stirling (Cliftonville), R Strydom (North County), A White (Instonians), G Wilson (Surrey).
