WHEN Middlesex were defeated by Ireland in last season's Benson and Hedges Cup, the more innocent members of their side were aghast to discover that they had achieved the distinction of making back-page news in The Daily Telegraph. Hence their almost excessive caution in avoiding further embarrassment yesterday.
It was a very different Ireland who took to Lord's, from the victorious Dublin outfit of last year. Hansie Cronje, for one, has gone and will instead be seen at headquarters next month in a slightly more high-profile role than Ireland's overseas player.
More pertinently, Decker Curry, who had 'slaughtered' the Middlesex attack to win the Gold Award last year, has returned to his Londonderry abattoir in a huff complaining about the ``lack of man-management skills'' of coach Mike Hendrick.
In their absence, all the 1998 team could do was make Middlesex labour for their six-wicket victory, clinched with successive Mark Ramprakash boundaries with two overs in hand.
Only five Irishmen, indeed, remain from their greatest cup hour and one of those gave them an outside chance of an unlikely repeat victory.
Before this season, the biggest claim to fame of Angus Dunlop who inherited the Ireland captaincy this year from the retired Justin Benson - was being struck for 32 in an over by Allan Border during the Australians' visit to Dublin in 1993. Now he indulged in some hitting himself.
Both Richard Johnson and Paul Weekes - in the last over - were swung for sixes by Dunlop on his way to a Gold Award-winning unbeaten 59 from a 66-ball stay which also included five fours. Only Angus Fraser returned particularly economical figures but it was another Fraser who was to prove more penetrative.
Alistair Fraser, at 30 two years younger than his famous brother, is making a surprise return to his home county this season, nine years after leaving them for an unproductive three-year stay at Essex.
His recruitment on a pay-as-you-play, one-day basis is partly a reward for his consistent Middlesex League form as captain of Stanmore and partly a 'wake-up call', in these days of proposed smaller staffs, to the county's younger bowlers.
Yesterday, after a rusty beginning to his comeback against Glamorgan on Sunday, he took two wickets in successive balls, Neil Johnson, Cronje's South African replacement, falling first ball to a spectacular Weekes slip catch after Kyle McCallan had holed out to mid-on.
On the whole, the Irish attack could be pleased with their parsimony. Ryan Eagleson gave Keith Brown several anxious moments and Gordon Cooke can be delighted to have snared Justin Langer cheaply.
Not least there was the sight of Matt Dwyer, at 39 making his international bow this year, conceding just 23 runs from his 10 overs of left-arm spin and holding a stinging return catch to dismiss Brown.