I was born and raised in Bethesda, Md., and attended Walter Johnson High School, named after the greatest pitcher of all time. I wrote for the school newspaper, The Pitch, and I did some work for the yearbook, The Windup. It was a privilege and a thrill to wear a baseball and basketball uniform with Walter Johnson written on it. But for some reason, we were the Spartans, not the Big Train, which was the nickname given to Walter Johnson in 1911 by one of the greatest sportswriters ever -- Grantland Rice.

I tell people about my high school and I often get quizzical looks, as if there's no way a school could be named after a baseball player. But Walter Johnson was much more than that, on and off the field. He won 417 games, had a 2.17 ERA and registered a record 110 shutouts, a record 38 of them by a 1-0 score. He held the career strikeout record for 55 years and hit 41 triples -- 18 more than any other pitcher in history. The son of a Kansas farmer, he was working for the telephone company when he was discovered pitching in the Idaho State League in 1907. He was bigger, stronger and threw harder than most any pitcher of his time.

He played his entire career for the Washington Senators. As a Senator, he lived, among other places, in Germantown, Md., which is one town away from where I live in Darnestown, Md. He's buried in a cemetery in Rockville, Md., which is also one town away. He died from a brain tumor on Dec. 10, 1956. Ten years later, I was born ... on Dec. 10.

Walter Johnson.

The Pitch.

The Senators.

Washington, D.C.

Dec. 10.

The 2019 World Series between the Nationals and Astros is, for me, the Small World Series. I have a personal connection to this one unlike the previous 38 World Series I have covered because it involves my hometown and a team, once removed, that I adored as a kid. I am not rooting for the Nationals. I am, as always, rooting only for the story. This is the story of a great but tormented city, a mostly terrible baseball team, the best pitcher ever and a dinky little kid who's now a dinky little 62-year-old who loves the game more than ever.

The only year the Senators won the World Series was 1924. Walter Johnson, who had gone 23-7 that season at age 36, had lost Games 1 and 5 of the World Series to the Giants. But he pitched four scoreless innings in relief to close out Game 7 and win the Series.

The Senators lost to the Pirates in the 1925 World Series. From 1926 to 1932, Babe Ruth outhomered the Senators 343-327. The Senators lost to the Giants in the 1933 World Series, the last time it was played in Washington, D.C. -- that is, until Friday, when Game 3 brings the World Series back.

There hasn't been much baseball to celebrate in Washington since then. From 1934 through 1960, the Senators had two winning seasons, birthing the famous saying: "Washington: First in War, First in Peace, Last in the American League." The Senators were so bad, owner Calvin Griffith moved the team to Minneapolis-St. Paul after the 1960 season. Washington was immediately awarded an expansion franchise in 1961. That team had only one winning season over the next 11 years.

But the 1969 season was glorious for any fan of the Senators. RFK Stadium hosted the All-Star Game. The Senators miraculously won 86 games. Frank Howard hit monstrous home runs. My favorite player, Eddie Brinkman, was a terrific defensive shortstop. And my oldest brother, Andy, served as a ball boy on occasion for the Senators because our family was close to the Baxter family; Fred Baxter was the team's equipment manager.

The manager of the Senators from 1969 to 1971 was Ted Williams, my father's baseball hero. Williams taught Brinkman how to hit: His average went from .187 to .266 in the first year with Williams. Ted Williams didn't love managing; he loved hitting. One spring, his coaches were arguing about the proper way to conduct a rundown. They went to Williams to settle it. He listened to both sides, then called off the drill, saying with disgust, "Aw, f--- it, let's hit!''

After a terrible 1970 season, Senators owner Bob Short traded Brinkman, third baseman Aurelio Rodriguez and pitchers Joe Coleman and Jim Hannan for the Tigers' Denny McLain, who had won the AL Cy Young in 1968 and 1969. McLain would later say, "I was traded to hell.'' We would pass McLain's house in the Drumaldry neighborhood every day on our way to North Bethesda Junior High School. McLain went 55-15 in 1968 and '69. For the Senators in 1971, he went 10-22. The team was terrible. Short moved it to Arlington, Texas, after the 1971 season.

Washington had lost a team for the second time in 11 years. I was 14. I cried.

And yet, 10 years later, I was covering the Texas Rangers, formerly the Senators, for The Dallas Morning News. On my first day of spring training 1982 in Pompano Beach, Fla., I looked at a map of the area. In the right corner was a picture of a ballpark. It read: Municipal Stadium, Spring Home of the Washington Senators. I laughed.

My job as a baseball writer brought back my childhood, in a way. I had lunch with Eddie Brinkman. I had beers with Frank Howard. At the winter meetings one year, the security guard at the door of the press room was Paul Casanova, who was a catcher for the Senators 35 years earlier. He was shocked that anyone would recognize him. We talked about the old days for an hour. I interviewed Williams in 1999, and among other things, he told me how much he enjoyed his days in Washington but said, "We had some bad teams.''

I befriended Shirley Povich, one of the greatest baseball writers of all time, one of my heroes in journalism. He covered Walter Johnson. The University of Maryland, which I attended, is home to the Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism, which I take an active role in supporting any way I can. There is a baseball field in Bethesda named Shirley Povich Field; I played most of my games there as a kid. The team that plays there now is part of the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League. Fittingly, it is called the Big Train.

Shirley died in 1998, seven years before the Expos moved to Washington, ending 34 years without baseball in the nation's capital. The return of the Nationals has been great for the city, and they have been largely successful, making the playoffs five times, albeit with three excruciating Game 5 losses along the way. But here they are in the World Series, looking like a team of destiny with the way they have won in this postseason.

And they are playing the Astros, who provide another connection to Washington baseball -- and to me. Third baseman Alex Bregman, an MVP candidate, is the grandson of Stan Bregman, who served as general counsel for the Senators from the late '60s until the team moved to Texas.

"I grew up to stories of Ted Williams,'' Alex said.

As I did, with my father.

Bregman's father, Sam, and his uncle, Benny, also went to Walter Johnson High School. Sam and I have talked several times about our high school, his son and the bond that we share. My cousin Bill makes sure to visit Sam when he comes to town.

Sam didn't work for The Pitch or The Windup. His birthday isn't the same as the death date of Walter Johnson, the greatest player ever to play in Washington. But Sam will be there for the World Series. It will be extra special for him and Alex.

For me, it is the Small World Series. And my biggest World Series ever.

Brit seeks Olympic qualifying mark, while Lonah Salpeter and Tsegaye Mekonnen head fields for German race

Steph Twell is aiming for a PB and an Olympic qualifying time at the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon on Sunday (October 27).

The 30-year-old ran 2:30:11 on her debut in Valencia last December, so she will be trying to beat the 2:29:30 standard for Tokyo in the German city.

Twell comes into the race in good form after a 70:51 half-marathon PB at the Simplyhealth Great North Run in addition to a 31:44.79 for 10,000m in 15th place at the IAAF World Championships in Doha, plus a 55:02 time for 10 miles at the Cabbage Patch event earlier this month – a time that ranks her No.2 in the UK behind Eilish McColgan.

Earlier this year she also won the women’s race at the Highgate Night of the 10,000m PBs in 31:08.13.

Twell currently ranks 23rd on the UK all-time lists for the marathon but will hope to rise up the rankings this weekend, in addition to nailing the Tokyo qualifier.

After collapsing across the line in London in April in 2:33:59, Hayley Carruthers tackles her second marathon of 2019 in Frankfurt and forms part of an England team alongside Jenny Spink, Peter Le Grice, Paul Navesey, Aaron Scott and Nick Torry.

The women’s field is led by Lonah Salpeter, the Kenyan-born Israeli who has a best of 2:19:46. Among her rivals is the course record-holder and last year’s women’s champion, Meskerem Assefa from Ethiopia, who ran 2:20:36 in 2018.

Other sub-2:22 runners in action are Kenyan Valary Aiyabei, whose PB is 2:20:53, plus Bedatu Hirpa of Ethiopia (PB 2:20:53), who finished third in Frankfurt last year.

Local Frankfurt runner Katharina Steinruck (nee Heinig) will be in the mix, while Britain’s Jess Piasecki is also among the entries as she looks to take on the marathon again after tearing her plantar fascia during her debut in 2015, while well on target for a Rio qualifying time.

Piasecki, who won last month’s Mattoni Ústí nad Labem Half Marathon in 71:34, is coached by Robert Hawkins, father and coach to Callum and Derek, with 2:12 runner Derek among the men’s race entries in Frankfurt.

Last year Mark Kiptoo of Kenya ran a world masters record of 2:07:50 in Frankfurt and he returns again aged 43. But favourite in
the 14,000-strong field is Tsegaye Mekonnen of Ethiopia, who has run 2:04:32, with a total of eight men with sub-2:08 PBs on the start line.

Also competing are 2:06 men Dawit Wolde, Bernard Kipyego, Martin Kosgey and Fikre Tefera.

“What we put into our body, is what will come out. So the training we have been doing means I have confidence the body is capable of going through half way in 62:30,” said Kiptoo.

On running well as a masters athlete, he added: “I am sure that the reason why I can run so fast these days is because I began late as a runner. It wasn’t until I was 28 that I realised I had talent.

“The key is that I don’t have any physical problems and have also been able to do good speed work sessions. Age is only a number.”

Around 14,000 runners are expected on the start line for the IAAF Gold Label race.

MIDDLETOWN, N.Y. — Jordan Thomas romped to victory in Thursday night’s 360 sprint car feature at Orange County Fair Speedway.

Thomas drove his No. 79 to victory in the 25-lap event on the five-eighths-mile dirt track, earning $3,000 for the triumph.

Billy VanInwegen finished second, with Lucas Wolfe, Davie Franek and Justin Barger rounding out the top five.

The finish:

Jordan Thomas, Billy VanInwegen, Lucas Wolfe, Davie Franek, Justin Barger, Joe Kata, Mike Walter, Eric Jennings, Matt Turner, William Glover, Larry McVay, Dallas Schott, Bobby Tersillo, Zack Burd, Mark Sasso, Christian Rumsey, Ryan Stillwagon, Scott Goodrich, Brett Wright, Thomas Radivoy, Scott Flammer.

MIDDLETOWN, N.Y. — Stewart Friesen banked $10,000 for winning Thursday night’s Hard Clay Finale for the Short Track Super Series at Orange County Fair Speedway.

The event on the historic five-eighths-mile dirt track was the kick-off to Eastern States Weekend at the track.

Friesen drove his No. 44 to a convincing triumph with Anthony Perrego coming home second. Andy Bachetti was third.

Matt Sheppard finished fourth and was crowned STSS champion, worth $12,500. Billy Decker finished fifth.

The finish:

Stewart Friesen, Anthony Perrego, Andy Bachetti, Matt Sheppard, Billy Decker, Jimmy Horton, Mat Williamson, Billy Pauch Jr., Mike Gular, Erick Rudolph, Brett Hearn, Mike Maheney, Dan Creeden, Bobby Varin, Mike Storms, Billy Van Pelt, Brian Gleason, Craig Hanson, Daniel Morgiewicz, J.R. Hulburt, Leo Fotopoulos Jr., David Schilling, Joe Bonetti, Rick Laubach, Jeff Strunk, Allison Ricci, Matt Stangle, Dillon Steuer, Jeff Heotzler, Michael Trautschold, Craig Mitchell, Larry Wight.

After advancing to the final game of the Stanley Cup Final last season, the Boston Bruins picked up where they left off to start 2019-20: Going 6-1-2 in their first nine games of the season.

They're a plus-6 in goal differential, with the league's second-best team save percentage (.935). Their top line remains perhaps the best in the NHL, with David Pastrnak (10 goals, seven assists), Brad Marchand (five goals, nine assists) and Patrice Bergeron (two goals, six assists) accounting for 17 of the team's 26 goals.

"Standings-wise, we're in good shape," said coach Bruce Cassidy, in his fourth season behind the bench. "Our game, like most teams at this time of the year, has lots of work to be done on it. We have a competitive group, so we're in every game, and so far we've gotten some good results."

We spoke with Cassidy on the ESPN On Ice podcast this week about the state of the Bruins, his dominant top line, lessons from last season's playoff run and his considerable hockey card collection.

ESPN: David Pastrnak is having an incredible season, with 10 goals and seven assists in nine games. The Boston Globe recently made the case for you to take him off the top line with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, to spread the wealth in the lineup. I've always wondered: When you have a line that good, how you deal with the temptation to break it up vs. knowing it's a line that can carry the team?

Bruce Cassidy: Typically I'm not gonna break it up until I'm comfortable with the line that Pasta's going to go to. Right now David Krejci's out with an injury. Pasta has good chemistry with him. I'm not gonna drop him know, simply because I don't think it makes us better. Now, you never know what you're going to find out. But the first [test] is always whether you're going to make yourself a better team by doing it. I'm not always convinced it is. I just like the chemistry with those three. It's also [about] who can go up with them? How can go up there and sustain it? That's the next part of it: We haven't found a guy. Danton Heinen's gone up there and done well in spurts, but we've seen drop off eventually. Now, maybe he's a year older, a year stronger, and a year more mature and can handle it. But until Krejci gets back, that's probably not even in the cards right now.

ESPN: During last year's playoff run, Tuukka Rask said one of the things that helped him was not playing as much last year. It really seems like you're divvying the load between him and Jaroslav Halak. What's your philosophy towards goalie workload management? Do you have to rely on two guys to have a winning club?

Cassidy: I don't know if you have to. We do it that way because the data's told us that Tuukka has a certain workload where he's performed better. It's a lot closer to 50 games than it is to 65. The other part of it is that we have a really good backup. We trust him. It started with [Anton] Khudobin who was good for us, and then Halak. Part of it is that. If your team doesn't have confidence in the guy going in 35 times a year, then that's a problem. So we're lucky that way. That's how we go about it, and we're not going to change. The game is harder on goalies. It's faster, more physical around the net. I think their workload is harder than it was in the past.

ESPN: Were there any lessons you personally took from last season's run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final?

Cassidy: What I learned was the ups and downs of the playoffs, and how you have to stay consistent. I'm an emotional guy. Typically during the year when you lose a game, there's a learning curve to it. You try to get better from it. I think in the playoffs, you almost have to shut the door and move on quicker. I haven't had many playoff runs in the NHL, so that was the biggest thing for me: Put the previous game behind you, get ready for the next one and put the players back in a good place. A lot of that is just about positive energy than it is necessarily details or video or structural stuff. That's what I learned personally. Whether the players took to it, I don't know.

ESPN: Are there any trends around the league that you've noticed early on in the season?

Cassidy: I feel that teams are a little more wide open this time of year. That's typical. Most players are healthy, have lots of energy, feeling really good about themselves. But I'd think in the next two or three weeks, guys will start to get a little banged up. Look at when we played Toronto: They're already down [John] Tavares. We're down Krejci. The players drop a little bit. Plus, coaches get a better feel for their teams and tighten it up. I've also noticed the top guys playing a little more early on. Coaches run with them because they're healthy. You want to get points on the board. So maybe that balances itself out too, as minutes get more equitable among players. But I gotta tell you: I haven't paid attention a ton to the rest of the league. We have some new players here, and ton of injuries, so we have to take care of our own business.

ESPN: You're a busy dude. I think you get a pass on that one.

Cassidy: Well, listen. I love hockey. I watch games. But I also have two young kids. I'm in a hockey rink now, and I'm on my way to one in about 15 minutes. Sometimes it's nice to get away from the NHL and watch 8- and 10-year-olds play sometimes.

ESPN: So what are the trends for 8- and 10-year-olds these days?

Cassidy: Yeah, there's one kid that's usually really good on every team and you gotta stop'em, or else you have no chance. [Laughs] They ruin it for everybody.

ESPN: Unless you've got that kid on your team.

Cassidy: Or it's your own kid.

ESPN: You've been in this Bruins culture for so long. I was looking at the stats. The last two years, the Bruins were third in the NHL in goals-against average as a team. Go back five years, and they're second in that category. Is it as simple as 'we have Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron and great goaltending,' or is there something else to this formula?

Cassidy: It all started with [Claude] Julien. That was his culture. When I was in Providence [in the AHL], we played a similar style so when you're coming up you don't have to change a lot. We made some adjustments to the neutral zone to try to defend the blue line a little better, because our D-corps got more mobile over the years.

But you said it: With Z and Bergy and Tuukka, they're constants. They're part of the fabric of how we play. It's a credit to the older guys that they buy in and understand what it takes to win. I've always been a believer in good team defense. We opened up things a bit more in the last few years offensively, but we tried not to lose our identity on the defensive side. For us, it's all about layers. That's been the big debate in hockey: layers vs. man-to-man defense. What's the better style? Layers always worked for us. And we've been able to coach it over time so the players coming up are playing the same way.

ESPN: In the playoffs last year, Zdeno Chara suffered a jaw injury when the puck hit him. You have to be tight-lipped about it -- pardon the pun -- but looking back on it, what was it like behind the scenes with him being able to come back to the ice in the Stanley Cup Final?

Cassidy: He went in for surgery the morning before the game, and we didn't see him that whole day. We're assuming he's not going to play because of the damage it did to him. I don't know if it was revealed at the time, but he had two fractures in his jaw. We tried to downplay the fact that he had metal plates in there and wiring in there. Here's a guy that had major surgery. He hadn't eaten. And he walks right into the room the next morning, ready to go. You're in awe of the guy. His pain tolerance was through the roof.

ESPN: Finally, you said recently in an interview that you had 5,000-7,000 hockey and baseball cards in your collection. When did you stop collecting -- if in fact you have -- and what's your most prized card?

Cassidy: I'm going to work backward here. I have a Bobby Orr card. It might be from 1972 or 1973. It's a purple backdrop, and he's got a white jersey on, and he had all his trophies in front of him. I used to tape the cards to my bedroom wall. I know it's in my attic somewhere. I just have to find it.

I must have stopped collecting when I was 12 years old. I grew up in Ottawa and had a paper route, so I started collecting at about 8 or 9 years old. My brother did it too. A lot of kids did. Did you ever play that game at school where you bring in your extra cards, fire them against the wall and see if you have a leaner to win the cards? We didn't have video games back then. We had to entertain ourselves somehow.

My cards are all up in the attic. The funny thing is that I once looked through them and found, like, "Charlie's Angels" and "Planet of the Apes" cards mixed in. And I was like, 'where the hell did these come from?' But the packs were a nickel back then. And the gum was sugary. So you couldn't lose.

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has refused to be drawn on speculation linking Erling Haaland with a move to Old Trafford.

United are looking to sign a striker, either in January or next summer, after allowing Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez to leave during the transfer window.

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Sources have told ESPN FC that Haaland, who has scored 20 goals in just 13 games for Red Bull Salzburg this season, is on the club's radar after working with Solskjaer at Molde but for now the United boss is refusing to add to the transfer talk.

"I don't think it's the time now for me to talk about other team's strikers," Solskjaer said. "I spoke about Harry Kane [on Wednesday] and now Erling. I don't think it's right for me."

Solskjaer's team head to Norwich on Sunday hoping to build on positive results against Liverpool and Partizan Belgrade.

United registered their first away win since March in Serbia on Thursday, and will line up at Carrow Road looking for their first Premier League win away from Old Trafford since beating Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Feb. 27.

"I hope we're going to stop them, because it's always going to be difficult down at Carrow Road, but we're ready for it now," Solskjaer said.

"We've been to Belgrade, got some players back, I managed to take Aaron [Wan-Bissaka] and Anthony [Martial] off after 60 minutes because they've been out for a long time. So hopefully we'll have a fresh team because we need to be at our best to have a chance.

After starting the season with a back four, Solskjaer switched to a back three for the draw with Liverpool and the 1-0 win over Partizan, and the Norwegian has not ruled out sticking with the same system against Norwich.

"I think the injuries made us get into a position where the performances didn't come and we had fit centre-backs, good centre-backs, quality centre-backs and it just made it easier to go to a back three against Liverpool and again against Partizan," Solskjaer added.

"Marcos [Rojo] played a World Cup final in a back three, Harry [Maguire] was involved in a back three in a semifinal. Injuries have made us go into this position but it's working quite well."

Zlatan Ibrahimovic aimed an indecent gesture at an LAFC fan on Thursday, grabbing his crotch after his LA Galaxy side suffered a 5-3 defeat to their rivals in the MLS Western Conference semifinals.

As Ibrahimovic left the pitch he seemed to take exception to the fan's boasting, staring the supporter down while grabbing his own crotch.

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When asked about the gesture, Ibrahimovic said: "How many fans came? 30,000? They said something.

"I enjoy it. It gave me adrenaline. This is nothing."

Zlatan responds to trash talking LAFC fan in the most Zlatan way possible. pic.twitter.com/8U0zVdADea

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) October 25, 2019

The former Sweden international also expressed frustration regarding Carlos Vela's second goal for LAFC, which came on a tap-in off a pass from Brian Rodriguez, with replays seeming to show Vela was offside in the build-up.

"The referee didn't know that? What was he doing upstairs, drinking coffee with Magic Johnson?" Ibrahimovic said, referring to the the NBA legend and LAFC co-owner who participated in the club's pregame ceremonies.

Ibrahimovic had a goal and an assist in the game but it wasn't enough as LAFC advanced to the conference finals after winning the first postseason edition of the city rivalry.

He also said that he has not yet decided on his future, with his Galaxy contract effectively up now his team's season is over.

Liverpool have won their High Court battle with New Balance, allowing Nike to become the club's new kit partner from May 30 next year.

After a three-day trial in London, judge Mr Justice Nigel Teare dismissed the claim brought against the European champions by their suppliers on Friday.

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Liverpool argued that New Balance -- as per a matching clause in their existing deal that was the subject of the litigation -- cannot compete with the distribution capabilities offered by Nike nor their extensive marketing pull.

Judge Teare agreed with the club, but Daniel Oudkerk, QC, representing the Boston-based company, suggested the finding was wrong.

He argued it hinged on the unquantifiable metric of superstars of "the calibre of Lebron James, Serena Williams and Drake" being promised by Nike to promote LFC merchandise.

New Balance's permission to appeal was dismissed.

Nike, who have already spent £6 million on kit design and have reserved factory capacity for 2.9m units can now press ahead with their plans.

"Liverpool FC is pleased with the judge's decision to rule in favour of the club following the legal dispute with our current kit supplier, New Balance," a statement said.

"We will continue with New Balance for the current season, in combination with preparing next season's Liverpool kits with our new supplier."

Nike's proposal of £30m as an "annual rights fee" is less than the £45m fee paid by New Balance.

However, they have committed to a 20% royalty on net sales of Liverpool products, while elevating distribution and marketing of club merchandise.

Ireland 110 for 2 (Stirling 58,* 1-16) beat Jersey 105 (Stevens 25, Adair 3-10, Delany 2-12) by eight wickets

Mark Adair's miserly spell embodied a tight all-round bowling effort as Ireland took a step closer to clinching a spot in the playoffs with an eight-wicket win over Jersey.

Man-of-the-Match Adair struck with the fourth ball of the game, getting Harrison Carlyon driving to mid-off for a duck. Jersey briefly counterattacked through Nick Greenwood and Ben Stevens, who flicked and drove for a trio of fours off Boyd Rankin in the fourth over. The pair added 36 in quick time as Greenwood concluded the boundary sequence with an edge past Gary Wilson for four before he was bowled by David Delany to end the fifth, beaten for pace driving to make it 36 for 2.

Jersey would not score another boundary until the 16th over as Ireland strangled them. Adair produced a wicket maiden in the sixth over, foxing Jonty Jenner with a slower ball to trap him leg before for a second-ball duck. David Delany struck again next over as Wilson kept a slip in for the new batsman Jake Dunford and it resulted in an edge there to Andy Balbirnie for a golden duck. The middle order continued to struggle as Craig Young induced a drive from Stevens to Gareth Delany at cover for 25 to end the 10th over at 49 for 5.

Ireland then suffered an injury scare when David Delany limped off midway through his third over in the 13th with a leg problem but Ireland team officials said later they believed it was just cramp. George Dockrell came on to finish the over and struck with the wicket of Ben Ward who skied a drive to long-off. Corey Bisson charged Gareth's legspin to be stumped, making it 76 for 7 in 15.

Adair came back in the 17th to claim his third as Dominic Blampied edged a drive low to Wilson behind the stumps for 20. Charles Perchard drove a sharp return catch back to Boyd Rankin in the 19th before Anthony Hawkins-Kay was run-out off the final ball of the innings, trying to steal a bye, as Jersey were dismissed for 105.

Paul Stirling muscled Ireland's chase with an unbeaten 58 off 37 balls. He added 35 with Kevin O'Brien for the first wicket before O'Brien drove Perchard to Hawkins-Kay at extra-cover. The only other wicket to fall was Balbirnie for 33, skying a drive off Blampied's legspin for another catch at extra-cover by Hawkins-Kay.

Stirling brought up his fifty with a six over long-on to bring Ireland one shot away from victory. He finished it off by slog-sweeping Blampied over square leg for another six.

Ireland face winless Nigeria in their final Group B match. A heavy win could boost their net run rate and put them in position to possibly claim first place depending on the tiebreaker as they jostle with Oman and Canada for pole position.