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Morgan: superb for England.

Magnificent Morgan rubs salt into Irish wounds

Dubliner Eoin Morgan scored 124 not out as he captained England to victory in today’s RSA Challenge in Malahide.

Updated 18.55

England (274/4, 43 overs) beat Ireland (269/7) by six wickets

EOIN MORGAN SPOILED the party as England rallied to deny Ireland’s cricketers another famous shock.

The Dubliner was the difference between the sides, leading from the front with a captain’s stand of 124 not out on a historic day in Malahide.

Batting partner Ravi Bopara added 101 of his own as England staved off an Irish upset and reeled in their target of 270 with six wickets to spare.

Together Morgan and Bopara scored 226, the highest-ever fifth wicket partnership in one-day international history.

Morgan’s star turn was a bitter pill to swallow in the first international match at the newly revamped “Fortress Malahide”.

A crowd of 9,000-plus set a new record for Irish cricket but those in attendance were left to wonder what might have been if Morgan and bowler Boyd Rankin, who took four wickets on his ODI debut, were still lining out in green.

Some supporters came armed with signs encouraging the ICC to grant Ireland Test-playing status before they lose any more of their young talent.

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Image: INPHO/Morgan Treacy

There were some boos as Morgan, who played club cricket with Malahide and internationally for Ireland before pursuing his Test ambitions across the water, walked to the wicket with England struggling on 25/3.

But that turned to applause as he scored his first one-day century since 2010 and finished with 124 off 106 balls, including 12 boundaries.

England were in desperate need of that stellar showing after Ireland captain William Porterfield set the stage for an exciting afternoon with a century of his own.

After losing the toss and going in to bat first Porterfield lasted almost three hours and marked his ton in style, firing a beautiful six off his former international team-mate Rankin.

Rankin eventually got his revenge and bowled out Porterfield for a total of 112 which included 14 fours to go with his milestone six.

Porterfield’s knock was the perfect recovery after a slow Irish start. Rankin took the early wickets of Paul Stirling (10) and Ed Joyce (1) to leave Ireland on 36/2 midway through the seventh over, and later caught John Mooney lbw for the seventh Irish wicket.

With England chasing 270 to win, Tim Murtagh’s bowling gave Ireland hope. He dismissed Luke Wright, James Taylor and Gary Ballance to leave the visitors on 48/4 before Morgan intervened to steal the show.

– Originally published 14.56

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47 Comments
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    Mute Mark
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 3:05 PM

    I have no idea what this means, but it sounds positive!

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    Mute Reg
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 5:06 PM

    It’s not exactly difficult. One team has to score more runs than the other. They get 300 bowls each (50 overs) to try and do it!

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    Mute Egg Mcmuffin
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 7:33 PM

    Really annoys me the taboo in the Irish media re: pointing out that Morgan is a traitor. If it was football or Rugby he’d be shunned.

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    Mute Peter McGlynn
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 7:54 PM

    It’s cos no-one really cares – and Ireland has its fair share of Aussie/NZ cricketers I think?

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    Mute Kev O Sullivan
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 8:26 PM

    Morgan and Rankin have no choice. We’re not a test nation. Till we are we’re gonna ship talent to England. Is sucks but it is what it is.

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    Mute Aidan Jennings
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 8:27 PM

    I appreciate the nationalistic aspect but he’s hardly a traitor, every aspiring cricketer’s dream is to play test cricket against the likes of India, Pakistan, Aus, SA etc. Test Cricket is the highest level of the game, a bit like Champs Lge or NFL.

    Asking Morgan to stay and spend his whole career with Ireland to play odd 1 day games here and there, (mostly against lowly teams like Bangladesh, Kenya and Holland) would be like asking Lionel Messi to stay in League1 his whole career when obviously he’s more than good enough for champs Lge level.

    Until ICC start to give Ireland at least partial test match status, this kind of thing will happen again, not because our players like England but because they deserve their shot at the highest level in test matches if they’re good enough.

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    Mute Egg Mcmuffin
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 8:29 PM

    Of course he has a choice. Being Welsh means in all likelihood Gareth Bale will never see a World Cup finals. Doesn’t mean he declares for England. Same for Giggs. And they knew that pulling on the red shirt and both have English blood.

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    Mute Kev O Sullivan
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 8:32 PM

    Bale makes 300k pw at club level. Cricket Ireland is virtually amateur. Morgan and rankin will make a good living with ecb central contracts. If you don’t know what your talking about just leave it alone…..

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    Mute Elma Phudd
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 8:43 PM

    So the English and Scottish players that brought us all the soccer success in the ninetees are all traitors?

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    Mute ManOnTheStreet
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 8:45 PM

    He knows what he’s talking about. He’s just likes to argue over everything. He’s just one of those type of people. An arse.

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    Mute Conor Gallagher
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 9:08 PM

    One must admire the sporting gallantry of Irish cricket fans. I’m afraid I would have booed Captain Morgan off the crease, just as I’m delighted that the fire in Stephen Ireland’s career has to be Stoked.

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    Mute Leslie Alan Rock
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 9:09 PM

    Problem id kev he gets nowhere near their test side

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    Mute Arron Hunt
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 10:09 PM

    They at least had Irish ancestry.

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    Mute Paddy
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 11:30 PM

    Yeah but he makes a nice living from it. I can’t argue with a fella tryin to make a few quid while he can.

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    Mute Jambbie
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 3:06 PM

    Great day out. C’mon Ireland.

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    Mute Pat Murphy
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 7:16 PM

    what a great day out!! and a fantastic game to boot! never mind the result!
    shame our bowling wasn’t the best but great to see two (irish) ton pluses!

    more importantly, very well done to our very own MCC, Malahide at that, for the excellent facilities today, great hope for the future!!!

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    Mute Robin Pickering
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 3:09 PM

    It’s a great game. Ireland are doing really well.

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    Mute On Raglan Road
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 8:12 PM

    A selection of top hurlers would make a great international cricket team. I wonder would they be allowed use their hurleys.

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    Mute Aidan Swipe Gannon
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 8:26 PM

    That’s what I’ve been saying for year’s .somebody should take 20 hurling players for six months teach them cricket ! They would have the best one day cricket team in the world ?

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    Mute On Raglan Road
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 11:16 PM

    I’d have to go on a course on how to read the score board.

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    Mute Ollie Owens
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 3:25 PM

    Any sport we can put it up to England gets my vote. Well done so far boys – a couple of early wickets now to really “Put them under pressure”

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    Mute Aidan Swipe Gannon
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 3:55 PM

    Are England playing Ireland thought they were on holidays

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    Mute Robin Pickering
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 7:15 PM

    Bet you feel like a bit of a knob now.

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    Mute Brian O Cinneide
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 7:26 PM

    Morgan, what a bollox!!

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    Mute RP McMurphy
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 7:30 PM

    He has bollix, absolutely sure he is not one:-)

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    Mute Aidan Swipe Gannon
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 8:00 PM

    I’m not the one who can’t move on pal (you are)

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    Mute Robin Pickering
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 10:31 PM

    Half the comments in this thread have been removed so none of it makes sense! I feel drunk!

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    Mute joe o shea
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 3:39 PM

    absolutly delighted with how its gone so far. serves the English ECB for being so disrespectful to Irish cricket over the years. Some cheek to bring over a 2nd string team

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    Mute Begrudgy
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 3:15 PM

    Jolly good score boys. Jolly good. Absolutely spliffing.

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    Mute Giller
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 3:29 PM

    Troll Level: Beginner

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    Mute Paul Mc
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 3:54 PM

    Tally ho old chaps!

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    Mute sean de paore
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 5:34 PM

    It looks like Ireland’s Eoin Morgan is going to save the day for England unfortunately, 103 not out

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    Mute Aidan Swipe Gannon
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 6:27 PM

    He plays for england

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    Mute Jakim Berndsen
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 8:26 PM

    Interesting interview with the Chief Exec of Cricket Ireland between the innings on sky. England definitely seem to do the maximum to help the Irish team and go beyond what I expected them to do. The plans in place to progress towards test cricket and to stop the likes of Morgan, Rankin and Joyce leaving are also interesting. Hope it comes off.

    There’s always bit of fuss about this fixture. England bringing out a second string line-up and of course the two Irishmen playing for England today. As far as the second string side is concerned, we need to beat them for it to be disrespectful, if we trounced them, I’d agree, but we’ve now lost 3 games in Ireland to “second string English sides”. The side only had three different players to the side that will be facing the Aussies in the next few weeks anyway. In terms of Morgan, if I had the option of playing test cricket for England, I’d leave Ireland too. Imagine if Irish football players couldn’t play internationally. The best ones would be off to England in that case too, it’s simply a case of wanting to play at the highest level. Anybody who has a problem with that is a begrudger.

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    Mute mcgoo
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 8:38 PM

    Shur let yourself and eoiny tear off to England. We’ll tip away here with the ould GAA. And draw turf from the bog. And eat bacon and cabbage. You patronising tool.

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    Mute Robin Pickering
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 10:34 PM

    Boo hoo mcgoo! Don’t forget to go to mass under a hedge.

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    Mute Mary Kavanagh
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 11:38 PM

    Lol! Owned, mcgoo!

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    Mute Paddy Lyons
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 8:04 PM

    A fantastic day out. Well done Ireland and Well done Eoin Morgan and England.

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    Mute John Donagher
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 6:28 PM

    ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!

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    Mute sean duffy
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 3:22 PM

    OMG

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    Mute mcgoo
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 7:08 PM

    Enjoying the soup Eoin?

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    Mute William Motley
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 4:37 PM

    Hahahaha ‘spliffing’

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    Mute Dexter Gordon
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 4:52 PM

    Juvenile comment.

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    Mute DesBod
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 8:36 PM

    Great day out. Fine performance from Ireland. Unfortunately the Irish players on the English team were the difference

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    Mute RP McMurphy
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    Sep 3rd 2013, 7:14 PM

    Ah the lefties:-)…well done Eoin.

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    Mute Gabriel Lacey
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    Sep 4th 2013, 11:03 PM

    The winner was cricket – a great game. I’m taken aback by the nationalistic paddywhackery tone of some of the comments here; shouldn’t you be in Croke Park screaming or something?

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    Mute Gabriel Lacey
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    Sep 4th 2013, 11:08 PM

    And our awful bowling performance shows that we’re not ready for Test level yet, not for many years, until we grow fresh talent for Irish cricket. Until then, England is the best outlet for good Irish players; we’re friends and neighbours after all. Let’s grow up.

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