Ireland qualified for the 2008 International Cricket Council (ICC) U19 World Cup in Malaysia after beating Scotland by six wickets here in Belfast to win the round-robin European qualifier.
Ben Ackland stroked an unbeaten 71 and opener Chris Dougherty (36) helped the Ireland ease home chasing the revised target of 150 in 32 overs.
It will be Ireland captain Greg Thomspon’s third successive appearance in the U19 World Cup. Ireland finished 13th from the participating 16 teams back in 2006.
“It is a fantastic achievement because we desperately wanted to qualify for the Kuala Lumpur event which we have done with flying colours,” said Thompson.
“The team is shaping well and we look to be heading in the right direction.
“We know it will be a tougher competition in Malaysia but the way we are performing and peaking, I am confident that we will be able to put up some strong performances,” he added.
Ireland’s crucial game against Scotland at Osborne Park was delayed by rain which it reduced to a 34 overs contest.
Scotland, put into bat, recovered from a top order collapse to reach a competitive 157 in its 34 overs.
All-rounder Calum MacLeod spearheaded Scotland’s recovery and scored a fine 58 from 67 balls with eight fours and two sixes while Scott MacLennan chipped in with a vital 36.
For Ireland, Richard Keaveney, Graham McDonnell and Thompson took three wickets each conceding 16, 35 and 38 runs respectively.
Ireland’s target was revised by the D/L method to 150 in 32 overs because of another rain interruption but they achieved their target with 13 balls remaining.