Slow progress for Scotland on day one in Belfast

Scotland's batsmen made slow progress to their first innings on day one of the ICC Intercontinental Cup match against Ireland at Stormont on Thursday, ending the day on 183-7 having faced 101 overs at the Belfast venue.

Ryan Watson won the toss and chose to bat but his side never managed to take real control of proceedings as the Irish attack hit its straps from the very first over.

Captain Trent Johnston was the pick of the Ireland bowlers, ending up with figures of 3-27 off 21 overs, including nine maidens, as the strapping medium pacer showed his usual consistency in line and length.

All-rounder Kevin O Brien and leg spinner Greg Thompson took two wickets each as Scotland struggled to come to terms with the conditions on the first day of the four-day, first-class match.

Neil McCallum and Craig Wright were top scorers with 36 runs each for Scotland but no batsman managed to dominate the defending champion s bowling. John Blain (13 not out) and Simon Smith (13 not out) were the unbeaten batsmen as Scotland closed on 183 with three wickets remaining.

Ireland's Andre Botha (0-5 off six overs), Andy White (0-8 off 15) and Kyle McCallan (0-19 off nine) also served to build the pressure on the Scots, who now have plenty of work to do if they are to build a competitive first innings total.

The ICC Intercontinental Cup has quickly grown in stature and profile since its inception three years ago and now ICC's premier first-class tournament is an integral part of the Associate Members' cricket schedule.

Having previously been designed around a two-group, three-day format, the event has evolved into an eight-team, round-robin and truly global tournament featuring four-day cricket which gives those teams who do not play Test cricket the chance to experience the longer form of the game.

Scotland won the first ICC Intercontinental Cup in 2004, beating Canada in the final, while Ireland has been victorious in both events since then, beating Kenya in the 2005 decider and Canada earlier this year in the 2006-07event.

The final of the ICC Intercontinental Cup 2007-08 will take place in November 2008 at a venue yet to be decided.