Ireland and Kenya face a test of nerves if they are to force a result on the third and last day of the Intercontinental Cup final here on Saturday.
Ireland declared their first innings 88 runs in arrears and gambled on taking Kenyan wickets and in so doing used the complex bonus points system to their advantage. Ireland made 313-4 declared in reply to the Africans' 401-4 declared. At stumps, Kenya were 104-3 in their second innings.
Kenya were 8.5-2.5 up on bonus points going into the second day and they moved into an even better position as Ireland lost two key wickets before lunch. Jeremy Bray was caught off Lameck Onyango after making 46 while Eoin Morgan was out not long before the break after making 60. But in the afternoon, with Kenya looking to stifle runs as much as take wickets, Kent's 23-year-old wicketkeeper Niall O'Brien and Andre Botha batted well.
They added 165 in under two hours, and when Botha fell for 78, it triggered a declaration, a bid to avoid Kenya picking up cheap points for wickets. O'Brien finished unbeaten on 106. Kenya's main priority was not to lose wickets but Ireland celebrated in the last over when they removed both Suji brothers.
SCOREBOARD
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KENYA (1st innings): 401-4 dec
(S Tikolo 177no, H Modi 106, K Otieno 72):
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IRELAND (1st innings - overnight: 37-1):
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D Joyce lbw b Odoyo 5
J Bray c Ouma b Onyango 46
E Morgan c Obuya b Sheikh 60
N O'Brien not out 106
A Botha c & b Obuya 78
EXTRAS: (B-b5, LB-6, W-1, NB-6) 18
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TOTAL: (for 4 wkts dec, 78.5 overs) 313
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DID NOT BAT: D Johnston, P Gillespie, A White, C Armstrong, W McCallan, A McCoubrey.
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-27, 2-82, 3-148, 4-313.
BOWLING: Suji 13-3-48-0 (4nb), Odoyo 4.3-1-15-1, Ongondo 8-1-30-0 (2nb), Tikolo 25.3-6-93-0 (2nb), Onyango 14-3-56-1 (1w), Sheikh 7-0-35-1, Obuya 6.5-0-25-1
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KENYA (2nd innings)
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K Otieno c O'Brien b McCoubrey 14
M Suji c O'Brien b White 52
M Ouma not out 24
A Suji b White 0
S Tikolo not out 6
EXTRAS: (B-8) 8
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TOTAL: (for 3 wkts, 40.1 overs) 104
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