Ireland struck first blood in the 5th over when a rising ball from Boyd Rankin found Watson’s (13) outside edge with Gary Wilson, deputising for Niall O’Brien who is fielding with an injured finger, doing the necessary behind the wicket. This brought Australian skipper Ricky Ponting to the crease to rapturous applause from the crowd, and he was watchful to start as he got to grips with the slow Clontarf wicket. He offered a half chance when he flashed a short Johnston delivery past the diving William Porterfield at point to get his first boundary of the day. Paine was happy to let his captain to take the lion share of the strike and played cautiously with only one shot played in anger, a hook over deep long on. Kevin O’Brien came on to replace Rankin at the Killester end and immediately put the pressure on the Australian batsmen with Paine showing some signs of frustration as he struggled to get the ball away. The introduction of Paul Stirling into the attack from the Clontarf Road end built on that pressure and it final told as Ponting went for the spectacular only to be caught at mid-wicket by Andrew White for 33 and leave Australia on 86 for two.

It wasn’t long before that became 86-3 as Michael Clarke missed an Alex Cusack ball outside off and the sharp Gary Wilson whipped the bails off and the Australian number four was on his without troubling the scorers. The impetus was now with Ireland as they kept the Australian run rate at a crawl to leave them at 97-3 at the half way stage. Paine survived a confident lbw appeal on 40 with Cusack’s dart keeping low, but was adjudged to be missing leg, he eventually reached his half century in the 32nd over with a single. Boyd Rankin returned for a second spell and made good use of the short ball with his height providing good bounce. Cameron White (41) threatened to take off in his characteristically aggressive style, but he too became a victim off trying to force the score and was caught at mid wicket by Porterfield off the bowling of Stirling.

At the 40 over mark Australia were at 162-4 with Ireland still making it hard to score. Rankin returned for a third spell at the Killester end but showed signs of tiring and he bowled one short ball too many and was dispatched over log leg by Paine. Paine was eventually out in the 44th over as the O’Brien brothers combined, Kevin the bowler and Niall the catcher at mid wicket, his 81 coming off 122 balls. Michael Hussey looked out of sorts before he too was back in the pavilion after he skied the ball the O’Brien brothers combined again, Australia were 194-6. That became a hatrick of O’Brien dismissals when Hauritz became their next victim, again caught at mid wicket looking to hit big. Boyd Rankin returned for one final over and sent James Hopes (12) off stump flying before Cusack had Ryan Harris (7)caught on the long on boundary by John Mooney.

Ireland will head into their innings with a total 232 required to win, and a knowing that a famous victory over the world champions is a serious possibility. But with news coming through that Trent Johnston is unlikely to bat after a scan confirmed he is suffering from a badly bruised thumb, Ireland’s top order will need to fire.

David Gash's bulletin on the second innings
It was a case of what could’ve been for Ireland at Clontarf as they let a brilliant start slip in the second innings to hand a James Hopes inspired Austrlia a 39 run victory in the RSA ODI Challenge. Set an achievable target of 232 in order to claim the coveted scalp of the world champions, Ireland openers William Porterfield and Paul Stirling got the Irish off to a flyer, banishing Aussies quicks Doug Bollinger and Ryan Harris to all corners of the ground to get the capacity Clontarf crowd to their feet.

Porterfield was took a particular fancy to the wayward Harris and initiated a bowling change after just one over as he hit him for three boundaries in his first over. His replacement, Clint McKay faired little better as Stirling dispatched him to the long on boundary, and then to fine leg in as many balls. Ireland brought the 50 up in the 7th over and looked on course to cause a major upset to the visibly shaken Australia side. McKay continued to struggle with his length and conceded consecutive fours off the now dominant Porterfield before the Irish captain launched him over the long leg boundary for a huge six two overs later.

Stirling was soon on his was back to the pavilion after a characteristically crowd pleasing innings of 36 off 35 balls when Harris, returning after a change of ends, knocked his stumps out of the ground to leave Ireland on 80 for 1. Porterfield rode his luck after Nathan Hauritz put down a difficult chance at mid-off, forced to dive while watching the ball sail over his head and was again dropped by a diving Shane Watson at first slip with the score on 86-1. Gary Wilson followed Stirling back to the pavilion the very next ball as Harris regained some control to strike the Irish number 3 on the pad and umpire Nigel Llong raised the finger.

Porterfield’s luck soon ran out when he played inside a turning Hauritz off-spinner in the 14th over, clean bowled for a well played 39. Australia, on the back foot for the innings so far, sought to put the pressure back on the hosts immediately by bringing in a short leg. Ireland brought up the team hundred in the 17th regular boundaries kept the run rate ahead of the required. The introduction of James Hopes at the beginning of the bowling power-play was the turning point of the match as the medium pacer applied the pressure to the Irish with his nagging accuracy and recorded careers best figures in the process.

When Alex Cusack was out lbw to Ryan Harris in the 24th over to leave Ireland on 137-4 and the run-rate starting to climb, it began a period of dominance for the Aussies that was to eventually hand them the match. Ireland were to lose their next four wicket for just 17 runs with Hopes proving impossible to score off as he returned figures of 5-14 off his 9 overs to leave Ireland reeling on 156-9, including the wicket of Trent Johnston, who batted with a severely bruised thumb. A late cameo of 38 by John Mooney set the Clontarf crowd alight as they maintained a glimmer of hope that their side might pull off an unlikely win. However it wasn’t to be after he skied a full Shane Watson delivery with Ricky Ponting doing the necessary at mid wicket; Australia winners by 39 runs.

Jon Coates (Irish Daily Mail)
The famous Australians called on two of their lesser lights yesterday to ruin what was developing nicely into the mother of all parties. In the end the World Cup holders won the RSA Challenge by 39 runs, but the adjacent scoreboard is unfaithful to the truth. Ireland dominated this one-day international for long stretches and the more ambitious players will lose sleep this weekend over how they contrived to lose.

After a fifth of their innings, the international newcomers were well on course to record an upset that would have ranked high in the annals. Never mind Pakistan in Sabina Park on that surreal St Patrick's Day: nothing tops defeating the world champions and a precious opportunity was created by William Porterfield and Paul Stirling, and then blown.

Even after the first three wickets fell for six runs, Alex Cusack and Niall O'Brien looked comfortable in the chase for 232 to win. But the roof caved in, and when John Mooney hit Shane Watson into the sky after a defiant 38 and Ponting kept his composure to take the match-winning catch, the obvious Australian emotion was one of relief.

'When they needed 150, we were thinking that if they batted to the end they were going to win the game,' said man-of-the-match James Hopes, whose return of 5-14, along with a patient 81 from unheralded wicketkeeper Tim Paine, was the game's deciding factor. 'That made it pretty simple in our eyes that we had to bowl them out, and in the end I think the score showed that if the Irish had batted for 50 overs they would have won,' Hopes added.

A warm and sunny day of compelling sport in Dublin's Northside will be remembered most affectionately for an exquisite opening partnership that had Ponting wondering whether he would have to dig a tunnel to the airport to save face. Ulster duo Porterfield and Paul Stirling were audacious, choosing the bad ball and timing it so sweetly that every act of aggression seemed to result in a roar from a sun-baked capacity crowd.At 19, Stirling still has cracks in his technique but he responded to Porterfield's early spurt with some emphatic hitting.

The Irish captain stroked three fours off Ryan Harris in the second over, and as Stirling kept apace, they hurried to 80 for no loss. Ireland were way ahead of the required rate and if any batsman had compiled a patient half-century he would have seen his team home. Unfortunately, wickets, as Porterfield reflected later, 'fell in bunches'. After the first slump, Cusack got his adopted nation back on track, only for an old clubmate from Norths in Brisbane who steered the game back in Australia's favour.

With Nathan Hauritz tying up the other end, all-rounder Hopes took care of Cusack with an lbw verdict that looked high, then persuaded Kevin O'Brien and Andrew White to nibble at balls outside off-stump.Trent Johnston, incapacitated by a badly bruised thumb that confined him to five overs with the ball, went the same way and Hopes had his fifth when Peter Connell was trapped first ball. John Mooney showed nerveless brilliance with only No 11 Boyd Rankin for company, striking five terrific boundaries and bringing the crowd back to life.But it wasn't enough to save Porterfield from wearing a pained expression in the evening sun.

He sighed: 'We had them on the back foot, it was ours to lose from there and we let it slip.'In the field Ireland were good, but not as good as they can be, but for once Johnston wasn't missed. Kevin O'Brien and Cusack were faultless and Stirling, whose talents know no bounds, claimed the scalps of dangerous duo Ponting and Cameron White. Gary Wilson will never forget his sharp stumping to get rid of Michael Clarke for a duck, either. If Ireland could bat for 50 overs as well as they bowl and field, they would be a genuine world force.

'Their batting at the start of their innings they gave themselves a very good chance of winning the game,' said Ponting. 'They just have to have that self-belief right through the order and taking it up to the opposition and believe they can win. We saw enough talent there today to know that they'll probably knock off a few teams in the future.'

Ian Callender (Belfast Telegraph)
For 11 overs of Ireland's innings in the one-day international in Clontarf, Ireland dared to dream of victory over the world champions. With 80 runs on the board, the openers in full flow and only another 152 wanted for the mother of all upsets, the sell-out 4,500 crowd, basking in the afternoon sunshine, were cheering every run off the bat of William Porterfield and Paul Stirling.

The Australia bowlers were rattled and the captain, the great Ricky Ponting, was not exactly panicking but was certainly beginning to wonder just how he would get a breakthrough. In the end, inevitably, it was a batsman‘s error rather than a demon delivery which ended the partnership, Stirling, after a run-ball 36 playing all round a ball from Ryan Harris. The crowd hoped it would be but a hiccup to an Ireland success but when Gary Wilson, promoted to No 3, and, crucially, the captain, followed in the space of three overs, the Aussies were back in control.

And all this before James Hopes came on to irrevocably change the course of the match. Introduced in the 21st over, he had conceded just five runs from 13 balls when he trapped Alex Cusack and after that the batsmen were rendered almost strokeless. There was not a single boundary between the 22nd and 38th overs and Ireland collapsed form 137 for three to 156 for nine and only John Mooney’s late flourish from No 8 got the margin of defeat down to 39 runs.

Mooney loves playing against Australia. He was top scorer in the World Cup clash in Barbados three years ago and was just one run short of repeating the feat yesterday when he mistimed a pull off Shane Watson and was caught by Ponting. Frustratingly, Ireland failed to use eight overs which made the defeat even harder to bear but although the pace attack of Doug Bollinger, Harris and Clint McKay may be nowhere near the class of Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee, to name just two, the back-up attack was perfectly suited for the slow Clontarf pitch.

Hopes finished with five for 14 from nine overs and the class of Watson was not even called upon until the 36th over. Nathan Hauritz, preferred to leg spinner Steven Smith, took only two wickets but they were the big two of Porterfield, beaten on the back foot by one that turned and Niall O’Brien caught behind for just 15. O’Brien was playing as a specialist bat yesterday, unwilling to risk his broken finger behind the stumps but his hands stood up well enough to hold three catches in the outfield, all off his brother Kevin‘s bowling.

Gary Wilson took over the gloves but it was a throw with an ungloved hand which handicapped his side. His decision to try and run out Shane Watson may have been well intentioned but bowler Trent Johnston didn’t think so when he fielded it. Indeed it was so painful that it not only left him with a bruised hand but forced him to leave the field after bowling five overs, only returning to try and hold the bat at No 9. Last night it was strapped and he will go for an MRI scan next week, just before he due to captain Ireland against West Indies A at Stormont on 23 June. In the end it was the other Australia opener who proved the biggest pain for Ireland. Indeed it was Tim Paine by name and Paine by nature as he stayed around for 44 overs, scoring 81 with just seven boundaries as he thwarted an otherwise impressive and persistent Ireland attack.

Boyd Rankin, Alex Cusack and Paul Stirling, the number one spinner yesterday after Gary Kidd was relegated to 12th man, all finished with two wickets. Half the job had been done but only half and Porterfield was left ruing another missed opportunity.

He said. “When these occasions come along we have to put in the performances and show the world what we can do and for 70 overs of that game we did. Now we have to do it for 100 overs and not let up, you can't afford to lose wickets in bunches against teams like this because they will come down on you and crush you like they did here.”

David Gash, Jon Coates (Irish Daily Mail), Ian Callender (Belfast Telegraph)