Ireland edged past Scotland in a thriller in the final game of the tri-series with a one-run win on Friday (September 20). Thus, they pipped Scotland to finish with 10 points, topping the table and winning the tri-series.
Ireland put on a strong total of 186, after being asked to bat. Opener Kevin O’Brien (63 off 45 runs) got them off to a blazing start, racing away to 114 in just 10 overs. Although they lost Gareth Delany and Andrew Balbirnie in their 20s, those came in quick time. Gary Wilson and O’Brien shared a fifty-run stand as Ireland looked at crossing the 200-run mark. But wickets at regular intervals thereafter, cut out the runs and kept them to below even 190 in 20 overs.
Scotland lost in-form George Munsey and Michael Leask early, but opener Matthew Cross kept them in the chase. Cross and Richie Berrington added over a hundred runs (122) for the third wicket to take them in close distance of crossing the line. It came down to the final over when Shane Getkate had to defend 15 runs for victory. It came down to the last ball with three required to win. Wallace eventually fell short and was run out while running the second, with them falling one run short as Ireland pulled off a brilliant win.
