Salute Gavin Hamilton. The Scotland batsman took ruthless control of his team's assault on Ireland's scant total to steer them to victory over the team ranked three places ahead of them and set the side up for the trickier task of tackling New Zealand today. It was his first one-day international century, and right up there with the 1999 World Cup performances that pushed him into the international spotlight.

Not just that, but it was his remarkable catch on the boundary, throwing himself to one side to snatch the ball left-handed out of the air, that had helped to put Scotland in such a strong position by removing the Ireland dangerman, Andrew White. Later Hamilton was to admit to a huge element of fluke. “It was a total misjudgment, and in the end I was just trying to stop it more than anything. If those stick, they stick. I guess it was just my day,” he said.

Not that there was anything remotely lucky about his century with the bat that pushed Scotland comfortably past the Ireland total of 210 for eight with 15 balls to spare. Opening the innings, Hamilton took on the Ireland bowlers from the first strike, an all-run four, and though he became briefly becalmed in 70s, he never lost the attacking approach that had served him well, bringing up his hundred with a classic straight drive over the boundary.

All that and he didn't even have his own playing kit, having to borrow the playing shirt from Fraser Watts, the vice-captain, after he left his own kit in a black bag in the changing room overnight and the cleaners mistook it for rubbish.

“It's somewhere in a dustbin in Aberdeen,” Hamilton said. “Nobody else was stupid enough to leave their kit in the dressing-room overnight, so I had to borrow some. I think I'll wear this kit all the time now.”

Hamilton was also quick to praise the efforts of his colleagues, Dewald Nel taking four for 25 before Hamilton received admirable batting support, first from Qasim Skeikh in a stand of 70, and then from Colin Smith, a local policeman, in a stand of 122 that put the game out of Ireland's reach.

Scoreboard

Ireland
R S Strydom c Smith b Nel 11
G C Wilson c Smith b Goudie 39
P R Stirling c Berrington b Nel 4
A C Botha c Smith b Nel 1
A R White c Hamilton b Blain 34
R S Haire c Berrington b Goudie 54
A D Poynter c Smith b Blain 1
W K McCallan b Nel 39
M J Fourie not out 19
Extras b 1, lb 2, w 5, pens 0 8

Total (8 wkts, 50 overs) 210

Fall of wickets: 1-21, 2-33, 3-45, 4-66, 5-131, 6-146, 7-153, 8-210.

Did not bat: G E Kidd, P Connell.

Bowling: Blain 10-2-29-2; Nel 9-4-25-4; Goudie 10-1-43-2; Rogers 10-0-49-0; Berrington 4-0-28-0; Watson 7-0-33-0

Scotland
G M Hamilton c Haire b White 115
R R Watson c McCallan b Fourie 0
M Q Sheikh c Kidd b McCallan 23
C J O Smith c Wilson b Botha 59
D F O Watts st Wilson b White 0
N F I McCallum not out 0
R D I Berrington not out 3
Extras lb 6, w 4, nb 1,11

Total (5 wkts, 47.3 overs) 211

Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-76, 3-198, 4-199, 5-208.

Did not bat: J A R Blain, G A Rogers, G Goudie.

Bowling: Connell 7-0-36-0; Fourie 6-0-33-1; A C Botha 10-0-41-1; McCallan 10-1-34-1; Kidd 10-0-44-0; A R White 4.3-0-17-2.

Umpires: P K Baldwin, S J Davis