Ireland's cricketers came down to Earth with a bump as they lost their opening tie of the 2007 Friend's Providence Trophy by 58 runs to Kent at Stormont in Belfast.
The visiting county posted a respectable total of 231 for seven from their 50 overs and Ireland never looked like reaching it, slumping to 173 all out with more than six overs of their reply remaining.
It could have been a different story.
Kent were struggling at 105 for six at one stage in their innings, but Joe Denly stepped in and changed the course of the match. Denly blasted seven fours and five sixes in his unbeaten 97-ball 102.
Ireland were looking to continue the form that saw them emerge as one of the few success stories of a farcical World Cup.
Their knack of capturing big-name scalps continued here as captain Trent Johnston bowled out-of-favour England wicketkeeper Geraint Jones (12) with just 16 runs on the board.
Dave Langford-Smith then bagged the wicket of Darren Stevens (12) before John Mooney bowled Martin van Jaarsveld.
The run out of Kent captain Robert Key for just 16 looked to have handed Ireland complete control of the match.
But then Denly began his assault and, despite losing Matthew Walker (27) and Ryan McLaren (12), he and James Tredwell (23 not out) put on a crucial 99 for the eighth wicket.
Ireland lost wickets far too regularly to ever challenge Kent's total.
Openers Jeremy Bray and William Porterfield both made only 13 apiece, the latter off 44 balls.
Andre Botha and Niall O'Brien then fell for seven apiece, O’Brien becoming McLaren's second wicket of the innings.
Peter Gillespie and Andrew White did not fare much better, making just 11 and eight respectively.
With the score on 80 for six, some resistance was finally provided by Kevin O'Brien.
He lost Johnston (three) but Kyle McCallan proved a more able partner as Ireland advanced to 128 before O'Brien fell to Simon Cook.
The game was up and the dismissals of Mooney (three) and Langford-Smith (11) were mere formalities as McCallan finished his side's top scorer with an unbeaten 45.
Cook and Robert Joseph were the pick of the Kent bowlers, with three wickets apiece.
The game was the first of at least 9 games that Ireland play in this year's Friend's Provident Trophy.
Ireland's Southern Conference schedule:
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29 April: Ireland v Kent, Stormont Belfast; 6 May: Somerset v Ireland, Taunton; 7 May: Hampshire v Ireland, Rose Bowl;
10 May: Ireland v Gloucester, Clontarf Dublin; 13 May: Ireland v Essex, Clontarf Dublin; 27 May: Surrey v Ireland, Brit Oval; 28 May: Sussex v Ireland, Hove; 10 June: Ireland v Middlesex, Clontarf Dublin; 13 June: Ireland v Glamorgan, Stormont Belfast.
