Ireland coach Ken Rutherford will be looking hopefully to the future today when Ireland begin their European Championship campaign against Holland in Glasgow.

A debut for 18-year-old Dominic Joyce and a first proper chance to assess all rounder Andrew White at international level could at last give Rutherford something to work on.

The former New Zealand Test captain will not be expecting his team to beat the 1998 champions at Hamilton Crescent, much less repeat the feat of predecessor Mike Hendrick's side that lifted the inaugural European trophy two years earlier.

But by this time next week, following further games against Denmark, Scotland, Italy and an England Club XI, Rutherford will have a far better idea of the task facing him at next year's World Cup qualifying tournament in Toronto.

The inclusion of Joyce in the squad is by far the most significant. A classy right-handed batsman, he has been in sparkling form for Merrion and is thought to be ready for that next step up the ladder which his brother Ed - who now plays for Middlesex - scaled so impressively at the same age in 1997.

White, who showed some nerve by hitting the stumps with his off-spinner in each of Ireland's three "bowl outs" at the Triple Crown earlier this month, will also be in the starting line-up and opens the batting with new captain, Kyle McCallan.

After a rain-hit pre-season tournament in Harare, a first round knockout in the Nat West trophy and a triple crown washout in Wales, Rutherford and McCallan will be happy enough to get in five full matches.

With eight potential first-teamers missing, anything extra in the way of victories will be a bonus.

Ireland (v Holland): McCallan (captain), White, Gillespie, D Joyce, Dunlop, Archer, Mooney, A Rutherford (Wk), Cooke, Dwyer, McCoubrey.