Ireland reach Cricket World Cup

**gspain** · 07/07/2005, 5:01 PM

Ireland defeated Denamrk today by 73 runs to top the group and thus qualify for the World Cup in the West Indies in 2007.

Great boost for Irish cricket.

It looks like we will meet Canada in the semi finals on saturday in Clontarf. However the main aim of this tournament has always been world cup qualification.

**shedite** · 07/07/2005, 5:36 PM

Savage!!! That's actually a really good competition. I hate test matches and english club stuff but the one dy world cup last time was class. There's a fair chance of some upsets too. Was in Canada last time or Holland or something that caused a bit of an upset.

**Slash/ED** · 07/07/2005, 5:40 PM

I wonder will this get any coverage in 2007 at all?

**gspain** · 07/07/2005, 5:52 PM

Originally Posted by Slash/ED

I wonder will this get any coverage in 2007 at all?

Of course - we will get fantastic tv exposure in the Wes tIndies, Indian sub continent, Australia and the UK.

RTE will continue to ignore it as they will be showing the premiership, celtic or some mickey mouse GAA game.

**Slash/ED** · 07/07/2005, 5:57 PM

Yeah, I'm not the biggest fan of cricket in the world I'll admit (Never watch it at all in fact) but RTE would have to at least give some kind of coverage to an Irish team playing at the highest level of the sport*

*Again I know nothing about the sport, I'm assumeing this world cup would be considered the highest level?

**jorge** · 07/07/2005, 6:14 PM

Not the biguest Cricket fan but great news all the same.Irish Cricket looks like its on the up.

**shedite** · 07/07/2005, 6:58 PM

Yeah this is the highest level. The top 11 teams in the world qualify automatically and the 5 best from the tournament that's going on at the moment in Ireland.

All the games will be live on sky anyway.

**patsh** · 07/07/2005, 7:17 PM

Excellent news.
I would suspect though that Sky have the rights for the World Cup well sown up by now....

**CollegeTillIDie** · 07/07/2005, 8:05 PM

Yes and their best player is probably going to be playing for England by then

**Mayo Red** · 07/07/2005, 8:27 PM

Wouldn't be a fan of Cricket, but fair play to them!

**sligoman** · 07/07/2005, 8:30 PM

Originally Posted by Mayo Red

Wouldn't be a fan of Cricket, but fair play to them!

Same as above but thing is I HATE CRICKET! Well done to them anyway

**Réiteoir** · 07/07/2005, 8:40 PM

Originally Posted by CollegeTillIDie

Yes and their best player is probably going to be playing for England by then

I think Joyce has said he will play for Ireland instead.

He might do what Dougie Brown did in 1999 - played for England in Test Matches before the tournament but turned out for Scotland in the World Cup

**pete** · 07/07/2005, 9:07 PM

Originally Posted by Réiteoir

I think Joyce has said he will play for Ireland instead.

Was he the guy who was going to play for England?

**Aberdonian Stu** · 08/07/2005, 8:15 AM

Well he probably will play for them as he'll be eligible next summer I think. Quality player who needs to play at test level. Ireland are still some way off that (despite this great achievement) so England is his only option really.

**gspain** · 08/07/2005, 1:03 PM

The England test team also represents both of these islands even if they probably won't have a lot of support from around here in the Ashes series.

This is very different from a footballer choosing to play for England rather than us or indeed a rugby player like Kyran Bracken declaring for England despite being born and educated in Dublin.

**Poor Student** · 08/07/2005, 1:52 PM

Why is the test team called England? Should they not just call it Great Britain and Ireland or something like the Lions seeming as it takes it all from these islands?

**Aberdonian Stu** · 08/07/2005, 2:34 PM

Well I'll be up for them anyway, but isn't it the England and Wales Cricket Board so how technically do they represent both islands?

Not trying to start some sectarian piffle, like I said I will be up for England in the Ashes, just wondering what area they actually do govern (in a sporting sense!).

**crazyaxel** · 08/07/2005, 8:43 PM

come on ireland do u tink sky will show any of the irish matches

**gspain** · 09/07/2005, 8:21 PM

Well over 3 hours after Ireland beat Canada to reach the ICC Final Aertel have results to follow.

**Sheridan** · 09/07/2005, 8:43 PM

Originally Posted by gspain

Well over 3 hours after Ireland beat Canada to reach the ICC Final Aertel have results to follow.

In fairness, that seems to be an oversight on subpage 2. The previous page carries a full report. Media coverage of this tournament was outrageously scant, however.

For the record, the result was as follows:

Canada: 238-9 (50 overs.)
Ireland: 241-6 (49.2 overs.)

Ireland face Scotland, who defeated Bermuda in the other semi, in Wednesday's final.