Northern Ireland recorded a surprise 4-3 victory over Republic of Ireland in their opening Group A match after establishing a 3-0 lead at the Coalite Nations Cup in Reading today.
The Republic, who displayed a stubborn streak when battling through to the final of the 1996 World Cup in Thailand, refused to capitulate without a fight.
Ken Doherty and Fergal O'Brien joined forces to launch their side's recovery by securing the doubles and the pendulum swung in favour of the all-Dublin trio. Joe Swail was poised to give Northern Ireland the verdict at 4-1 when he built a 31-point advantage over Doherty in frame five. But last season's Crucible semi-finalist could not apply the finishing touch.
A brave 69 clearance from Doherty kept the Republic of Ireland alive and O'Brien tied up the scores at 3-3 with a run of 51 against Murphy. The rally was all in vain, though, as Northern Ireland's Gerard Greene kept his cool under mounting pressure to secure the win.
The Republic need to beat defending champions England tomorrow to keep on track for one of two qualifying spots from Group A and a place in the semi-finals. Northern Ireland will face China on Tuesday.
Filed by Seán Folan
