Matthew Humphreys recorded another five-wicket haul
An Emerging Ireland side completed a 10-wicket victory in the last game of the West Indies Academy tour at Stormont with 35 minutes to spare, as Matthew Humphreys followed up his maiden five-wicket haul in the first innings with another in the second.
The 21-year-old Lisburn slow left-armer is now in pole position to replace Andy McBrine in the Test match in July — if Ireland go into the game with only one spinner — although there is another four-day Challenge game in Malahide, starting on July 8, between all the Test possibles when the two slow bowlers are set to be on opposite sides.
The tourists, resuming on 148 for three yesterday, still needing 93 to make the Ireland XI bat again, survived for 90 minutes, adding 60 runs without losing a wicket before Humphreys made a double breakthrough in successive overs, including Akeem Auguste caught at mid-off for 93.
Two overs later he got his 10th of the match but it needed Harry Tector to end the frustrating ninth-wicket stand of 25, in 13 overs, before skipper Andrew Balbirnie and James McCollum could think about knocking off the runs to win the match.
With only 28 required it left Tector and Lorcan Tucker with only nine runs between them in the match and it was a surprise that, with the top six all dismissed, Balbirnie chose to bat on with a lead of 197 on the third morning.
The captain said he wanted to give Fionn Hand (61 not out) the chance to go for his hundred while also going for the win and knowing there was rain about. Hand was out for 79.
Scores: West Indies Academy 200 (T Bishop 69; M Humphreys 5-57, C Campher 3-12) and 268 (A Auguste 93, C Bowen-Tuckett 41, K Alleyne 38; M Humphreys 5-44, A McBrine 2-74) Ireland XI 441 (A Balbirnie 88, F Hand 79, A McBrine 64, J McCollum 40, P Stirling 32) and 30-0. Ireland XI won by 10 wickets.
Sunday: Irish Senior Cup Quarter-Finals (12.30pm): CIYMS v Leinster, Malahide v Instonians, Merrion v Waringstown, Phoenix v North Down. National Cup Quarter-Finals (1.30pm): Donaghcloney Mill v North County, Ballyspallen v Sandyford, Strabane v Templepatrick.