Local derby a long way from home

Two teams with much to play for face each other at Lincoln's BIL Oval on the nineth day of the CricInfo Women's World Cup tomorrow. Mix in a little of the local derby ingredient and the clash between England and Ireland has the makings of a lively contest.

Both teams are coming off losses. England made life difficult for themselves when succumbing to India on Monday in a match-up that was critical to the distribution of semi-final places; Ireland left themselves with much to do in the battle to avoid relegation when they let Sri Lanka off the hook yesterday.

The Irish looked very dejected after their loss and how well their management manage to pick the team up will be the key to whether England find themselves with a fight on their hands.

The relative merits of the two teams are reflected in England's having five on the CricInfo Player of the Tournament leader board, including century maker Charlotte Edwards, while Ireland have three, each with just a point. England should have too many guns for the young team wearing the shamrock but nothing triggers the competitive spark in the Emerald Isles than the chance to do the dirty on their neighbours.