Solid Ireland ease past gutsy Thailand
Ireland won the toss and chose to bowl against Thailand at Kampong CC, captain Laura Delany looking down at a green wicket rather than up at a cloudless sky. Her decision received almost immediate vindication as Natthakan Chantam was dismissed off the second ball of the innings, Joyce sisters Isobel and Cecelia combining, the former with the delivery and the latter with the catch to leave their opponents 0/1.
The European side were forced to wait for their next breakthrough however, as Naruemol Chaiwai and Nattaya Boochatham added 54 for the second wicket. The latter did the bulk of the scoring and faced the bulk of the deliveries, Chaiwai happy to turn over the strike when she had it. For the most part, Thailand relied on a variety of sweeps, paddles, conventional and reverse, manipulating the field well and putting Ireland somewhat under the pump.
Experience soon told with Lucy O’Reilly’s diminutive seamers to the fore. There was some canny captaincy from Delany, who opted to put the fielders back on the leg-side fence and bowl straight, daring the Thai fielders to smash it through them or else settle for singles. O’Reilly claimed 3/23 as after a promising start Thailand limped to 92/7.
It was the kind of score that would only take one score and a couple of starts to chase, and that’s exactly what Ireland got. Clare Shillington was named player of the match for her 32-ball 38 which included the first six of the tournament, and she looked in good touch as she targeted the leg-side. However, it was her dismissal, the first of two in two balls for Thai captain Tippoch Sornnarin (3/12), which saw Ireland stutter in the middle.
At 64/3, still needing 29 to win, Thailand were just about in the hunt, and certainly felt it if the noise in the field was anything to go by. Once again however, Ireland pulled through, as Delany (12*) and Isobel Joyce (15*) added the requisite 29 to see their side home.
The two sides are next in action tomorrow, on Sunday 8 July, when Ireland take on Scotland at Amstelveen and Thailand take on Uganda at Kampong.
