Wolves batsmen starved of more action as last day is wiped out
IRELAND Wolves’ game against Gloucestershire II ended, as it began, with rain falling in Bristol and with no play on the final day — like the first — as the game was abandoned as a draw.
It was particularly cruel on the Wolves batsmen who were denied a second chance to impress in the final game of the season.
The one consolation is that the majority are likely to be selected for the first winter tour — the Wolves head to Sri Lanka after Christmas — and a final chance to put their name in the frame for the senior side’s tour to India and a nine-match series against Afghanistan in February/March.
The Ulster triumvirate of James McCollum, James Shannon and Aaron Gillespie scored only five runs between them while James Cameron-Dow failed to take a wicket in his 13 overs. Craig Young took three but his 19 overs across both innings went for 106.
In contrast Nathan Smith took 4-66 from 22 overs and is a certainty for the Wolves tour — at least.
The other positives were Tyrone Kane’s five-wicket haul in Gloucestershire’s first innings and Lorcan Tucker’s 138 but the lead of 180 was ballooned by the county side’s ridiculous 100 extras which allowed the Wolves to stay ahead despite the hosts reaching 128-2 in their second innings at the end of what proved to be the final day.
Meanwhile, former Clontarf groundsman Karl McDermott was yesterday appointed to the biggest job in the world — head groundsman at Lord’s.
McDermott left Castle Avenue in 2007 to join Worcestershire as assistant groundsman before moving to take up the top job at Hampshire in 2009. Last month he prepared the pitch at the Ageus Bowl for the fourth Test against India, which was described as the best of the series.
In his first season he has the little matter of the World Cup final, an Ashes Test and, from July 24, the Test match between England and Ireland.