O'Brien ton helps Ireland shock England

Brilliant Ireland Shock England

bbc.co.uk

I sometimes wonder what it is that makes me so anti-English. Some of my best friends are English or live in England. I have several English relatives - my dearly beloved brother married an English woman and my equally dearly beloved sister lives in Derbyshire. Most of the people who read this blog are English. And yet every time I see a headline like that one up there it fills my heart with joy.

There is an element of patriotism - living on a wee island like this we rarely get to savour sporting success. It is also partly because little Ireland took on the mighty English at a game the English invented and won. I imagine it also has something to do with having a preference for the colour green over blue. But mainly I just like it when England lose at something - especially to the Irish.

They've not done anything to deserve my vitriol. Okay, they didn't exactly behave particularly well towards the Irish in the 18th Century - or various points since; they could have probably conducted themselves better to put it mildly. But mass evictions, national persecution and a decidedly cruel stance during famines aside - they've never done anything to me personally.

But here I am, grinning like a loon. All because I watched England take an unassailable lead in a cricket match - only to have it assailed by a courageous bunch of amateurs in green. As I watched Ed Joyce - the man who had been Irish, only for the English to poach him, only to become Irish again when the Englanders grew bored of him, rack up 32 runs I smiled. As I watched Kevin O'Brien score the fastest century in World Cup history (113 off 63 balls; he hit the 100 mark on his 50th delivery) I positively beamed; and when John Mooney smashed the ball for four to win the match with five balls to spare I was delirious. And I don't even like cricket that much.

Forgive me my unjustifiable prejudices. I accept I have them and shouldn't - but I just don't get to air them very often.