Veteran Trent Johnston also found success removing opener Alex Doolan for 40 and then bowling his former New South Wales colleague Brad Haddin for two to deny the wicketkeeper time at the crease before next month's first Ashes Test against England.

The scoreboard showed 65-4 as Haddin, the Australia A captain, trudged off and had only advanced to 139-6 when Peter Siddle, another probable starter in the Ashes series, was caught in the gully by John Mooney off Sorensen for a duck.

With Sorensen boasting figures of 4-44 and Johnston 2-50, the under-strength Ireland side were cock-a-hoop but a partnership of 109 between Smith and James Pattinson steered Australia to safety before rain brought an early close. Smith's 104 not out contained a six and 14 fours.

CricketEurope
A Steve Smith century rescued Australia A from a precarious position on the first day of their four-day match against Ireland at Stormont. The Australia A vice-captain stroked a chanceless unbeaten 104 as his team finished a rain interrupted day on 248 for 6, having been 69 for 4 and 139 for 6. Smith's innings included 14 fours and a six as he rebuilt the innings following the damage inflicted by Max Sorensen.

Smith shared stands of 74 for the 5th wicket with Moises Henriques (47) and an unbroken 109 with James Pattinson (42*) for the 7th. Alex Doolan impressed early on with a fluent 40 as the Irish bowlers took advantage of the helpful early morning conditions.

Sorensen (4-44) bowled both Nic Maddinson (6) and Usman Khawaja (0) early on, and then Trent Johnston (2-50) got in on the act to get rid of Doolan and Australia A skipper Brad Haddin for just 2. Henriques played some positive shots, including one lofted drive for six off Alex Cusack, before chipping the returning Sorensen to Johnston at mid-on.

Peter Siddle who had made his maiden first-class hundred last week against Scotland, was dismissed for a duck this time, John Mooney taking a sharp chance in the gully to give Sorensen his fourth wicket. Ireland will be hoping that the second new ball - due in eight overs time - brings the Australia innings to a quick conclusion when the match resumes on Saturday.

Close Day 1 - Friday 14 June - Australia A 1st inns 248-6 (S Smith 104*, J Pattinson 42*)

Day 2
Sinead Farrelly (CricketEurope)
Play got underway at Stormont with Australia A resuming on their overnight total of 248-6. Steve Smith and James Pattinson came back to the crease on 104 and 42 not out respectively. Stuart Thompson and Trent Johnston opened the bowling for Ireland with only eight overs remaining until the new ball becomes available for play.

A four boundary for Pattinson got him his first runs of the day and edged him closer to a half century. This was quickly brought up with a single run in a seven ball over from Johnston. Ireland missed a chance to get out Australian danger man Smith as James Shannon makes a great effort to catch a high ball at backward point but misses. Ireland were punished for this as Smith scores three successive four boundaries straight away. This brought up the 150 run partnership between the pair.

However in the following over Johnston makes the breakthrough and breaks up the 156 run strong partnership by dismissing Smith on 133 runs. Smith’s innings was off 220 balls and included 19 fours and one six. Some small showers appeared during the morning session but were not strong enough to disrupt play.

A change in bowling brought Max Sorensen back into bowl from the Dundonald end. This proved to be a good change as in his second over he took the wicket of James Pattinson for 66 runs as he was caught by wicket keeper Stuart Poynter. This wicket brought up Sorensen’s first five-for for Ireland. Another wicket fell in the form of Nathan Lyon who was caught by Sorensen and bowled by Johnston for two runs. This brought in long awaited Fawad Ahmed for the first time for Australia A as the final batsman. However as the rain came down harder, play was stopped, players came off the field and the covers came on before Ahmed had a chance to hit a ball.

Close Day 2 - Saturday 15 June - Australia A 312-9 ( 88 overs, A Agar 5*, Fawad Ahmed 0*)

Day 3
Irish Independent
Paul Stirling thrilled his home-town crowd with a brilliant century for Ireland in Belfast but Australia 'A' fought back strongly and are favourites to claim victory on the fourth and final day of a rain-effected tour game at Stormont. Stirling, who can't get a four-day game for his county side Middlesex, treated his fans to a masterclass of clean hitting yesterday – striking 17 fours and a six in his 115 from 142 balls – before Ireland declared 126 runs behind on 186-4.

Australia quickly rattled up 174-0 in their second innings, thanks to a Nic Maddinson century, and the third declaration of the match set the home side 301 to win. Stirling only managed one boundary second time around before he was caught behind off the pacy James Pattinson for six. Fellow opener John Anderson also fell to a Brad Haddin catch and Alex Cusack was caught at third slip to leave Ireland floundering on 51-3 at the close.

The flurry of late wickets left the Aussies well placed with Ireland needing another 250 for victory today, but nothing could take away from the pre-lunch performance of Stirling who simply flayed Pattinson and Peter Siddle – two of the pacemen likely to start the first Ashes Test against England next month. If his six – top-edged over the keeper – perhaps had an element of good fortune, there was little flukey with a succession of off-side boundaries as the 22-year-old raced to his half-century from 44 balls and dominated the early scoring of the first Ireland innings.

Anderson, Cusack and James Shannon could manage only two runs between them, but by the time the third wicket fell, Ireland were 58-3 such was the run torrent from the meat of the bat at other end. "I got a few hit-balls at the start when they didn't quite find their lengths and bowled too full or too short, but that's probably one of the better attacks I've faced," Stirling said. "Pattinson would have to be right up there with the quickest around at the moment."

Andrew White proved a steadying influence in a partnership of 96 and was the first to shake Stirling's hand when he reached his eighth century for Ireland – only William Porterfield, with nine, has more. After Stirling was finally stumped off Nathan Lyon – another likely Ashes combatant – Kevin O'Brien declared, clearing the stage for Maddinson to provide more entertainment with six sixes in his 113 not out from only 63 balls.

Ian Callender (Belfast Telegraph)
After one of the more dramatic and eventful days of international cricket, Ireland need 250 runs with seven wickets in hand to beat Australia A on the final day at Stormont. A tea-time chat between the captains set up an extraordinary last session on day three, with Ireland pulling out 126 runs behind the Aussie’s first innings overnight total of 312 for nine and the tourists agreeing to declare once they were 300 in front.

True to their word they did that, but, remarkably, it took them only 84 minutes to score 172 without loss, Nic Maddinson hitting a stunning 113 not out from 63 balls with 13 fours and six sixes. It was the second century of the day and left Paul Stirling’s wonderful effort in the morning – his second in three internationals this season – in the shade. The Middlesex professional scored 115 but it took him 79 balls longer although he slowed down markedly after thrilling the crowd with a 44-ball 50.

Captain Kevin O’Brien explained the early declaration. "We are here to put ourselves under pressure and Australia agreed to pull out with a lead of 300. I don’t think their plan was to leave us 114 overs but Nic Maddinson got them off to a quick start. It has worked out well for us because the more overs we have, the greater chance of winning We can definitely get another 250,” he said.

Although his bowlers consistently went at nearly nine runs an over, including first innings heroes Max Sorensen and Trent Johnston, O’Brien defended their second innings effort. “The guys were bowling balls that were hitting the top of the stumps and Maddinson was pulling them over mid-wicket for six. There’s not much you can do about that and you have give the batsmen credit,” said the skipper.

In the first session Stirling seemed to playing on a different pitch to all of his team-mates. At one stage, he was on 52 from 46 balls, having hit 10 fours and a six; at the other end, from 50 balls faced, two runs had been scored, from a single scoring shot by John Anderson. By then Stirling had been joined in the middle by Andrew White who increased a first class average already in the 60s, with another unbeaten 40. He promises to be an important batsman today when he resumes with James Shannon. Having lost Stirling early second time around, it is an inexperienced tail with Stuart Thompson at No 8 and Ireland can’t afford to lose more than three wickets until they get within 50 of their target.

This is a seriously good Australia A attack with James Pattinson and Peter Siddle backed up by Nathan Lyon - all three of whom are in the Ashes squad – and Pakistan-born Fawad Ahmed who finally got his first bowl in Australia colours. Stirling took an instant liking to him with a couple of boundaries but after conceding 26 in his first four overs, only five came off his next five and Stirling admitted it was the drying up of the runs that proved his downfall. “I like to use my feet and hadn't done it very often this time. I thought I had got to the pitch of the ball, but Lyon bowled well all day and was much better than the Pakistan finger spinners last month. He has played a few Tests now and is in the Ashes squad for a reason.

“But it was nice to get another hundred here against top quality opposition. Pattinson is up there with the quicks of the game at the minute, bowling at over 90mph. It’s definitely one of the better attacks I have faced.” Unfortunately, he had to leave it to his Ireland-based team-mates on the final day.

Close Day 3 - Sunday 16 June - Ireland 2nd inns 51-3 (17 overs, J Shannon 11*, A White 2*)

Day 4
Ian Callender (Belfast Telegraph)
Stuart Poynter scored his maiden first-class 50 but it was not enough to prevent Ireland losing their four-day game with Australia A by 93 runs. Needing another 250, with seven wickets remaining on the final day, the loss of four for 20 in the first session effectively settled the outcome, but a 70 runs partnership between Poynter and Stuart Thompson brought Ireland into the realms of respectability.

Scotland, missing only three players from their first choice line-up could not get within 360 runs of this Aussie line-up last weekend and it is a fair reflection of where the two Associate countries stand that Ireland were four times closer with twice as many players missing. Poynter, scored 172 for the MCC Young Cricketers against Durham Seconds last week so even the likely Ashes bowling attack held no fears for this talented 22 year old who has been unavailable for all of Leinster Lightning’s inter-provincial matches this season.

His 63 off 79 balls, with seven boundaries, only underlines the depth in this Ireland squad but Poynter knows that he is a distant third for the wicket-keeping gloves in Ireland’s first choice line-up, behind Gary Wilson and Niall O’Brien. “It was nice to get a few runs for Ireland but I know the only way to a regular place is to keep getting runs, knocking on the door and then hopefully things will fall into place,” said Poynter, who confirmed what Paul Stirling had said on Sunday that Nathan Lyon was the best Aussie bowler.

It was Lyon who had both overnight batsmen, James Shannon and Andrew White caught at short leg off turning deliveries and when the impressive Moses Henriques, who didn’t bowl in the first innings, had John Mooney - for a 15-ball duck - and Kevin O’Brien caught behind in quick succession the game was up for Ireland. Still, there was much to like about the Ireland performance, the most positive of which was the batting against opening bowlers James Pattinson and Peter Siddle, who finished the match with only three wickets at a cost of 189 runs from 50 overs which was never less than 100 per cent.

But the experienced batsmen didn’t score enough runs, with White, O’Brien and Mooney scoring only 33 between them in the second innings. Shannon upstaged them with a solid 35, from 83 balls, building on his fine start to his first-class career against South Africa A last summer whileThompson also faced 52 balls of the eighth wicket partnership before Lyon beat him with a straight one. The low point was the bowling in the Australia A second innings, although even that was a follow-on from first day when only Max Sorensen and Trent Johnston got among the wickets. When the opening bowlers failed to get the same movement on a more placid third day pitch, they were set set upon by the Australian opening batsmen and the support bowlers could do nothing to stop the haemorrhaging of runs.

Just how many runs Ireland could have got in the first innings with White and O’Brien set, we will never know but the two declarations and the rain which continues to plague Stormont internationals set up a last day, made even more fascinating by the delayed start which left Ireland 82 overs to bat. It was just too far for the home side and, while never men against boys, the seasoned pros had more than enough to win.