Ireland Wolves overpower Dutch A side to claim the series

As the Dutch A side had done on Wednesday, the Ireland Wolves recovered on Thursday from a disappointing performance the day before, and by doing so were able to clinch a 2-1 victory in the three-match series at Oak Hill in Co. Wicklow.
On paper the final match of the series was a mirror-image of the preceding one, although on closer inspection there were significant differences.

The game was a personal triumph for the Wolves opening bowler Graeme McCarter, who claimed four wickets in an initial seven-over spell which reduced the Dutch to 46 for five, and then came back to take two more, finishing with six for 32.

There was also an encouraging spell from leg-spinner Ben White, who took three for 16 and who ended a promising little middle-order stand between Aryan Dutt and Tonny Staal, effectively putting paid to any chance of Netherlands A setting their opponents a challenging target.

The Dutch had started well enough, Musa Nadeem and Stephan Myburgh putting on 29 for the first wicket before McCarter removed the former, starting a collapse which saw five wickets fall for just 17 runs in the space of 24 deliveries.

Then followed the quiet interlude of the partnership between Dutt and Staal, who resisted for ten and a half overs even if they were only able to add 27 runs.

White removed both of them, and the only significant contribution thereafter came from Ryan Klein, whose 18 before he was last man out was as confident as any in a generally disappointing display, the Dutch innings ending on 105.

When the Wolves replied Klein and Bas de Leede, entrusted with the new ball, caused plenty of problems in turn for the Irish top order, and two wickets for Klein and one for De Leede saw the home side in some difficulty at 29 for three.

But Harry Tector batted as confidently as he had in Tuesday’s opening game, and in company first with George Dockrell and then with his younger brother Tim he set his side’s chase back on course.

18 were still needed when Tim Tector departed, and the match ended with a flurry of runs from Harry, who finished on 57 not out, made from 50 deliveries with nine fours and one six.

This was a series dominated by the Ireland Wolves and Dutch A team seamers, who took 38 of the 48 wickets which fell to the bowlers, while there were only three half-century partnerships, all of them in the opening game.

Few on either side staked really pressing claims for a place in the Super League series between the two countries in Utrecht next month, the obvious exceptions being McCarter and Harry Tector among the Irish and Viv Kingma, Logan van Beek and Tobias Visée for the Dutch.

Ryan Klein, though, made a positive impression on his first outing in Dutch colours, and Musa Nadeem, Tonny Staal and 18-year-old Aryan Dutt did enough to confirm their potential, and to underline the developmental importance of A team encounters such as this.

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