Young Morgan makes history

CRICKET/Ireland Tour: Eoin Morgan didn't score a run or take a wicket at Eton College yesterday but he still made history against the Free Foresters by becoming the youngest player to win an Ireland cap.

At 16 years and 244 days, the North County and now Middlesex Second XI batsman beat David Trotter's record by more than six months, and to demonstrate the strength of youth cricket in Ireland, 19-year-old Bready seam bowler Boyd Rankin also took his first international strides in a 13-run victory.

After Jeremy Bray had departed at the end of the first over, Morgan strode to the crease and had faced four deliveries when he was called for a sharp single by Jason Molins and was run out by a direct hit.

The youngster didn't seem to respond to his captain's call quickly enough, or perhaps he was unaware of Molins' awesome reputation between the wickets and his deceptive speed, or maybe he was unlucky to have picked out Andrew Whittall, the only Test player on the field.

He would almost certainly have survived if Trotter had been at square leg. History tells us the Dublin University and Phoenix batsman who debuted for Ireland aged 17 years and 71 days in 1875, was an indifferent fielder.

Morgan wasn't finished, though. When Whittall, the Zimbabwean, was threatening to rally the Foresters' tail to victory, Molins threw Morgan the ball and he responded with five overs for 16 without ever dropping short. Whittall was out on the third ball of the final over, bowled by John Mooney, and last man Jack Schoonheim followed suit two deliveries later.

Ireland had Andrew White and Peter Gillespie to thank for the bulk of their runs on a dusty, difficult pitch. White has the knack of reaching 30 without anyone noticing and Gillespie is another intelligent accumulator of runs.

After their fourth wicket stand of 66, Kyle McCallan and Ralph Coetzee did their best to pick up the baton but the tail subsided quickly after lunch as Whittall's off-spinners claimed 4 for 16.

A total of 172 was just about within the compass of the Foresters but after a lively opening from the promising Rankin they suffered a setback when Ryan Eagleson removed both openers in the space of an over.

McCallan then had an lbw appeal upheld to join Alec O'Reardan and Garfield Harrison as the only all-rounders to have scored 2,000 runs and taken 100 wickets for Ireland, and White struck a crucial blow by ending a threatening innings from Peter Came with another lbw decision.

Disciplined bowling and fielding after tea reduced the Foresters to 108 for 7 and Ireland always had the game in hand.