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OPENERS Leah Paul and Gaby Lewis have recently made a habit out of providing Ireland with great starts and they didn’t disappoint after being asked to bat first in their Group A match of this Women’s World Cup qualifier yesterday. 

The duo put on a 61-run stand, before Caroline de Lange put the brakes on scoring by dismissing both openers. 

Ireland lost wickets in a heap and found themselves at 85 for five, with Eva Lynch dismissing Shauna Kavanagh and Orla Prendergast, off consecutive deliveries. 

Skipper Laura Delany and Eimear Richardson had to pull off the rescue act and drag Ireland out of trouble, adding 85 for the sixth wicket. 

Heather Siegers ran through the rest of the batting order with a four-wicket haul, including the wicket of Delany and Richardson, as Ireland folded for 199. 

Prendergast made up for her duck in batting by dismissing Juliët Post for a duck, in the third over. 

Babette de Leede and Sterre Kalis weathered the early storm with a 59-run partnership. Once de Leede was dismissed for 34, Robine Rijke joined Kalis at the crease. Their 73-run partnership took the Netherlands close to victory, though Kalis fell short of a well-deserved half-century, by just three runs. 

Needing to go a run-a-ball, in the last 10 overs with seven wickets in hand, it seemed a simple chase for the Dutch. 

Two run-outs, including that of skipper Siegers, changed the dynamic of the game before Prendergast struck to dismiss the well-set Rijke for 56.

Needing 35 from the last four overs, the pressure of the asking rate got to the Netherlands as they succumbed to a 29-run defeat. The Dutch, who were cruising at 158/3, were skittled out for 170. — ICC