Ireland win despite missing Morgan

IT WAS a tale of two county players at Clontarf yesterday as Eoin Morgan failed to show for Ireland while fellow professional Niall O’Brien eased his side to a seven-wicket victory over Holland in the European Championship.

Morgan has thrown Irish plans into confusion by pulling out of the tournament with a knee injury and only making himself available for the first two days of the Twenty20 World Cup qualifiers in Belfast that start on Saturday.

The 21-year-old’s apparent decision to play for Middlesex in a Pro40 game next Monday has baffled national coach Phil Simmons. He said: “We thought everything was arranged and this change is really surprising.