GARY Kidd, with career best figures of eight for 15, stole the show in Ireland's second match of the European A Championships in Rotterdam.

The Waringstown slow left armer, playing his first match of the tournament, needed only 29 balls to destroy the Netherlands as they collapsed from 54 for two to 80 all out. A five-hour delay reduced the match to 25 overs per side but the Dutch couldn't even last that long, bowled out with one ball unused.

Ireland were set 83 to win and they eased home with seven overs to spare for the loss of only wicket, Andrew Balbirnie, promoted to open after James Hall was left out, failing to survive three balls. But Reinhardt Strydom, happy to spend time and accumulate, scored 36 from 58 and Paul Stirling finished 38 not out from 11 balls less.
But this was Kidd's day and it was, indeed, child's play as the host batsmen were bamboozled by his flight and variation. Twice in his first two overs he was on a hat-trick and at the end of his second he had figures of four for five.

Peter Borren, the most experienced member of this Dutch side, was his first victim, caught at deep square and from the first ball of his next over he had Eric Szwarczynski, demoted from the senior team to find form, was beaten by the spin and spooned the ball to John Mooney at short cover.

In the same over, he bowled Atse Buurman and Jelte Schoonheim then pulled a full toss to mid-wicket. It was Kidd's worst ball of the day. He went through his third over without taking a wicket but in his fourth he hit the stumps twice as the batsmen played and missed and he finished the innings with two stumpings, courtesy of Fintan McAllister.

The only previous time Kidd had taken six wickets was for NCU Under-15s, eight years ago and his analysis is the best in any Ireland match since Garfield Harrison took nine Scottish wickets in the first innings of the game against Scotland in 1990.

The rest of the bowlers were, of course, overshadowed by Kidd but Andrew Britton took the first two wickets in an impressive opening spell and Shane Getkate, replacing Phil Eaglestone, bowled a good length and conceded just five runs in his five overs at this level.

When Ireland batted, remarkably, they faced only two overs of slow bowling - their SLA was left out! - but on the day Kidd proved a class apart. Leslie Stokkers' two overs cost 13 while George Dockrell's four overs went for 17 and Balbirnie bowled three wicketless overs for 11.

Ireland finish their tournament today, against Scotland, at the VRA ground in Amsterdam.