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March 2nd 2011; not a date that elicits any particular memories for most people. The day Ireland beat England in the ICC World Cup, well why didn’t you say so?
It’s one of those days that everyone in Ireland – even those who don’t follow cricket, or sport for that matter – remembers. And it seems like everyone has their own story to tell about that day.

Today is the second anniversary of the most famous victory in Irish cricket, so we asked people to share their experiences of the day that Kev, Johnboy, Cusy and all the Ireland boys took down the old enemy.

Max Sorensen is an Ireland quick bowler who has been capped since events in Bangalore, 2011
I was labouring at the time so I was on site at a house in Donabate. We were doing the plastering on the inside of the house and listening to the commentary on the radio. I remember when the score was about 130 for 5, I was thinking the game was over with still 200 odd to get, and the plasterer I was working with who didn’t know a thing about cricket kept asking who was winning. I was trying, and failing, to explain that you can’t really tell until the game is over.

Well, as the game went on and Cusy and Kevin were building a partnership, we were working away and I would get the odd question, “So who’s winning?” I would answer, “If these two can keep going we will be grand”.

By the time it came to last 10 overs and we were more and more in the game and had a chance of winning, the work stopped and we just listened until the end. When John hit the winning runs we all celebrated like we had won the world cup.

It was a great day and I will never forget it.

Nitin Bindal is Connacht Provincial Cricket Union Secretary

When I mention cricket to anyone in Galway that does not know a thing about it, they always mention that Kevin guy that was on the news.

On that momentous day I was in the NUIG college bar with the NUIG and County Galway cricket club lads biting my nails raw. There were 78 of us (the last head count was done in the 34th over of our innings – after that even non cricket followers were in there cheering) packed in the lunch room of the bar and going nothing short of crazy.

Guys were singing Ireland’s Call when the match was over, half staggering out of the pub. Some of the guys were going “We beat the POMS, we beat the POMS, we beat the POMS” all the way to the pubs in town.

It was breathtaking. The boys were brilliant.

Kenny Carroll, Dual Ireland International, Ireland World Cup Cricketer 2007 and Current South Dublin County Council / LCU Cricket in the Community Development Officer

I was going about my normal working day as a postman in Dun Laoghaire that day. I didn’t have a smart phone or anything so I was listening to the commentary on BBC radio 5 live. I remember hearing that England had made a very big total, 300+. But I knew that it was chase-able in Bangalore because its usually a road and has small boundaries; we needed to get off to a good start though.

However, when I heard Purdy (William Porterfield) had got out early doors and we had lost another few early wickets, I thought that was it. When Ed and Nialler got out I remember thinking to myself that was definitely it, game over. It meant I could complete my post round at ease and there was no point in rushing home because I was in no mood to hear some of the Sky Sports commentators gloat and be patronising!!

About 40 minutes later my phone started hopping with texts and missed calls. I finished up as quick as I could and raced home to see Kev, Cusy and then John Boy finish the job. By the time I got home Kevy had started to just poke the ball around!

After the match was mental. On the Railway Union CC (Kevin O’Brien’s club) website my number was down as one of the contact numbers for the club, which meant I took about 30 calls from journalists from all over the world asking for some background information on Kev.

We then de-camped to the clubhouse in Railway. The place was packed that evening as everyone watched the highlights from the match and the cheers went up as we relived Kev dispatching the English bowlers to all parts. Morning radio stations from Australia and all over the place were ringing the bar that night as well. I don’t think I managed to get to work the next day, I certainly cant remember it!!

Ian Callender is a journalist for a number of newspapers and reported on the events of the day from the press box

Definitely a case of I was there. One of the great night’s of my journalistic career. I was actually on the air, on RTE’s Drivetime Show when the winning run was hit, and after that all hell broke loose in the press box.

Within seconds of the game finishing I got a text from the Belfast Telegraph office simply saying: “Get quotes from everyone”. I was also working for the Irish Daily Mail and Irish Daily Mirror and even had to turn down another paper which normally doesn’t cover cricket. Everyone wanted a sample of the action.

I can confidently say that I was the last person to leave the stadium that night (in the company of Ger Siggins) at 2.45am! We even had to wake up the security guard at the stadium’s gates.

We couldn’t get a taxi so ended up walking back to the team hotel – it was only 20 minutes away. There the party was still in full swing, so bed would have to wait for another couple of hours.

The following day was actually even busier for me. I didn’t leave the hotel all day and with newspapers not able to get enough copy, it was another 12 hours+ of writing. But give me another World Cup win, any day.

Jeremy Bray, former Ireland International, Ireland World Cup cricketer 2007 and currently Head Coach of the Ireland Women’s team

I remember I was down the country with my kids watching it all unfold on my laptop.

I was pretty sure that we were going to get smashed when we were 5 wickets down with still so many runs to get. But then Kev just kept going and going and going! When Andrew Strauss dropped that catch chance that Kev hit, I just knew we were going to win.

Andrew Balbirnie, Ireland International who studies in Cardiff Metropolitan University, Wales

I watched the first innings from my room in dorms at Cardiff met. I had nets in the afternoon where I got abuse for the duration about how bad Ireland were.

Following nets I heard Kev was on 90 off 40 odd balls so I went up to the Glamorgan bar to watch it with the rest of the squad. When John scored the winning runs I jumped up and down like a maniac in front of my English counterparts and let them know we had beaten them.

I then went back to halls, regrouped and then had a massive night out on the town celebrating.

Clare Shillington, Ireland Women’s most capped player, has played in three World Cups and still opens the batting for Ireland

I was in work in my ground floor, glass-fronted office. Watched the whole thing ball by ball on cricinfo (luckily everyone else was out at an event as NO work was done.) I was having regular, very over-excited, phone calls with my brother in London as it looked ever more likely that they might actually win.

When the winning run was hit I sprinted the full length of the office whilst leaping and doing several fist pumps and some other celebratory moves only to turn around and remember that I was in a ground floor, glass-fronted building!!! I don’t think anyone saw me but sure, who cares if they did?

Brian O’Rourke, Leinster Development Officer for over 15 years and stalwart of the Leinster Club Cricket scene

Having watched quite a bit of the first innings I had several coaching jobs in South Dublin to carry out early that afternoon. While running a session at Drimnagh Castle school, the early news filtering through regarding our reply to England’s total was not good. One of the teachers was able to tell me exactly how the first four wickets had fallen and that we were looking at a heavy defeat.

Following the session, I checked the scores again on my phone and noticed a large partnership was developing, and at a very high scoring rate. The closest pub I could find was the soccer mad, Submarine Bar in Crumlin, where quite a few locals had gathered to watch Kev and Alex make serious inroads into the English bowling attack.

The final 45 minutes was sports entertainment at its best and I will never forget the cheering and celebrations in the bar when the winning runs were hit. A day I will remember for quite some time.

Albert Van der Merwe is a recently retired Ireland International and was in Ireland’s World Cup Squad in 2011

I had arguably the best seat in the house 70 metres away with Nigel Jones and Andrew White. Being so close and a part of that incredible roller coaster of emotions was incredible. Nothing can top the elation we all felt when the ball made it’s way to the boundary for a final time.

You always wanted to run onto the pitch after your favourite team has won as a kid. That day we could. That day I could say, “I was there!”

Wylie McKinty is the administrator for the NCU’s website www.northerncricketunion.org

I was following the match on Cricket Ireland’s website at work, but when Ireland were 111-5 I was beginning to lose interest and stopped following the match closely. About 30 minutes or so after I had stopped following the score I received an email from a friend who plays for my club telling me about Kevin O’Brien blasting it to all parts and I started following it again.

As the match neared its conclusion a few of my work colleagues (male and female), who do not follow cricket at all but know I do, gathered around my PC and we waited with increasing impatience for the scores to update. As the runs ticked away we were all getting excited and there was a huge cheer when John Mooney stroked the ball for four to win.

I then phoned my wife at home to make sure the Skyplus box was set up to record the highlights of the match!!

Isobel Joyce is captain of the Ireland Women’s cricket team and her brother Ed was on the team that day

I was coaching hockey all day and wasn’t following the match closely at all, simply because I couldn’t. In the afternoon I brought our school’s Minor A team to Mount Temple school for a match.

A friend of mine, Rob Abbott who plays in Clontarf, was coaching the other team that day and needless to say our umpiring was awful. We struggled to keep an eye on the pitch or on the time because we were so busy checking the score of the match on our phones.

We ran to our cars to turn on the radio and listen to the last half an hour but, of course, my radio was on the blink! By the time I made it home it was all over. I went down to Railway that night to watch the highlights and I have never seen so many smiling people. I wish I could have been there on the day that changed Irish cricket forever.

Ryan Eagleson, former Ireland International and current Ireland U/19 Coach

I remember driving from Stormont to Bready for an Academy session with some of the North West boys and listening to the match on the radio as I drove over the Glenshane Pass.

We were 5 wickets down and even Alan Lewis on commentary couldn’t see us getting home. By the time I had reached Bready, Kevin and Alex had put on 70-odd to give us a chance.

Half-way through my session with the McClintock twins, all three of us were watching in the gym at Bready as John boy struck the winning runs.

The drive home was very sweet. Then it was home to watch it all again on Sky Plus.

What a day.
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So many different places and different stories but the experiences are remarkably similar. Everyone associated with Irish cricket has their own memories of Ireland defeating England – what they were doing, what they felt and who they were with. It was one of the best days Irish cricket has ever had; here’s hoping more like it are not far away.

Cricket Ireland
Kevin en route to the fastest World Cup hundred in history
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