Only when Andre Botha joined the consistently brilliant William Porterfield at the crease did Ireland look to gain any sort of control of the game. Both left-handers batted patiently and they went about building a respectable total. The introduction of the Magic Man (Majid Haq not Pauli Malignaggi) changed the complexion of the game. Ireland were beginning to look comfortable and were set to launch some into the big yard before the Magic Man took control. The Paisley magician had Botha caught by Goudie while Kevin O'Brien again fell to the skill of Haq.

Andrew White, who seems to have been around forever, got Ireland back on track stroking 32 off 59 balls after Porterfield was run out for 50. The Irish tail bludgeoned some much needed boundaries at the backend of the innings and the Irish stumbled past the 200 mark. Scotland held the advantage as they walked into the pavllion for a magnificant Mannofield lunch spread. They began their response with necessary caution, as the old stager Trent Johnston and a bustling Alex Cusack bowled probing spells. Johnston was rewarded when he had Fraser Watts caught by Kevin O'Brien at slip. It didn't get better for the Saltires as Navdeep Poonia (6) and Ryan Watson (12) were both run out.

At 49-3, Scotland were hoping that their middle order could help Hamilton in a recovery, but it wasn't to be. Regan West was given the ball by Porterfield under the simple instructions - "get McCallum and Hamilton out and we win." The burly New Zealand born spinner did not let his skipper down, as he accounted for McCallum and Hamilton with the score on just 66.

Scotland's lower order offered little resistance to Ireland's spin twins McCallan and West. Petrie was Scotland's third run out while Goudie and Ross Lyons were both stumped off the bowling of West, who took 4-26 off 8.3 tidy overs.

Ian Callender reports
There are now five places in the world rankings between Ireland and Scotland but it looked more like 25 in the first one-day international between the teams in Aberdeen. The margin of victory was 96 runs in favour of the No 1 team below Test level, but it could and should have been even wider as Ireland outclassed their Associate neighbours for most of this one-sided match.

Captain William Porterfield, who brought his runs tally for the week to 245 - after scores of 118 and 77 in the Intercontinental Cup match at the same ground last week - with another 50, believed the total of 205 for nine was a winning one but “it could have been bigger”.

Despite the early loss of Gary Wilson and Paul Stirling - at least one of whom will lose his place to accommodate Niall O’Brien at Stormont on Thursday - Porterfield and Andre Botha took Ireland to 101 for two in the 24th over. But, in the space of 25 balls, they lost three wickets for two runs, including the skipper run out. John Mooney and Andrew White dug in, perhaps a little too literally and their sixth wicket stand of 36 used up 13 overs, Mooney taking 19 balls to get off the mark. It was Regan West who eventually hurried Ireland past 200 with four boundaries in his 19-ball 24 but there should never have been any danger of this Ireland team being bowled out. Kyle McCallan, in his 225th international, was batting at No 11 for the first time. Trent Johnston, in his 99th game for Ireland, once again opened the bowling but he was overshadowed by Alex Cusack at the other end. In five overs, Cusack conceded just three singles and he was backed up by Kevin O’Brien and Andre Botha, the latter bowling his first overs in an ODI for 10 months.

So accurate with the four pace men that by the time spin was introduced in the 19th over, Scotland were chronically behind the over-rate at 37 for two and it hardly increased as Regan West and Kyle McCallan shared the next 14 overs. West finished as the most successful bowler, with four for 26, McCallan had to make do with one wicket and Andrew White, Ireland’s seventh bowler, also deservedly picked up one, the over after Drummond was dropped by McCallan.

With Boyd Rankin, possibly, to come in, Ireland could this week not only be fielding their strongest ever bowling line-up but possibly their greatest ever team.

The second match in this 2 match sereies on 23 August was abandoned without a ball being bowled.

Paul Hoffmann and Ian Callender (Belfast Telegraph)