Irish target a victory over the Dutch to reach qualifying final
Regulations: Outdoor Competitions states in paragraph 6.1: “The final decision, including any matter of interpretation, remains with the match umpires and not the video umpire.”
Bell added: “In the light of the magnitude of the decision, with Olympic qualification at stake, I would have thought the match umpire in this case might have asked the video umpire was he absolutely sure that it was a penalty stroke.
“Whatever the video umpire said in answer to that question, then the match umpire has the right to overrule him, but there’s nothing we can do about it now unless there is some route that Hockey Ireland can examine.
“The decision to award the penalty and the fact we went on to lose the game has many ramifications resting on it, including funding and hockey careers and lifelong dreams that have been shattered.”
Ireland goalkeeper David Harte (left), who missed the game due to injury, was equally distraught.
He added: “Lives were directed towards this and we are all devastated. Right now, I can’t really start thinking about the future because it is still so raw.
“I still can’t get my head around it but it is just so cruel.” IRELAND will meet Netherlands in the first semi-final of the T20 World Cup qualifying tournament after the Dutch became the third team to make next year’s finals with an eight wickets win over UAE in Dubai yesterday.
The hosts, who finished third in Ireland’s group, have another chance to qualify this afternoon when they face Scotland, the winners becoming the fifth of the six teams to book their passage to Australia.
The final qualifier will be the winners of tonight’s match between Hong Kong and Oman, who lost the second play-off semi-final to Namibia by 54 runs and, with their place Down Under secured, will play Papua New Guinea in the second semi-final here on Friday.
The Dutch had their play-off all but won in the first five overs when they reduced UAE to nine for five, which in itself was a recovery after losing their first four wickets for four runs in 14 balls.
Paul van Meekeren, who took two wickets in two balls, and Brandon Glover, who finished with 4-12, the joint best bowling figures in the tournament, were the early destroyers.
UAE managed to bat out the overs but their total of 80-9 was never going to trouble Netherlands, who reached their target with 29 balls to spare, Ben Cooper hitting the winning run to finish 41 not out.
While the players enjoyed a day off, there was Ireland interest in the match with Roly Black one of the umpires, and the North West official is still in line for another game on the final day.
In the late game yesterday, JJ Smit hit the fastest 50 of the tournament from 20 balls as Namibia totalled 161-7.