It certainly was a roller coaster ride for Ireland's young cricketers in Malaysia. They bounced back after a horrible first week which saw them defeated by England, Bangladesh and most worryingly, Bermuda.

That loss to Bermuda was the low point - they had in truth, only two decent cricketers in Rodney Trott and Malachi Jones, but their team spirit was enough to carry them through.

That performance led to a storm of protest on the site, and it wouldn't be too unfair to say, that Brian O' Rourke's position as Under 19 coach was on the line if things didn't improve dramatically.

He has gone up considerably in my estimation after his dealings with the media out here - he never shirked a question, and gave his honest, forthright views. He had undoubtedly been let down by his players, and needed a positive response. He cut a very forlorn figure after the Bermuda game, and his assertion "that sometimes you don't always get out what you put in," sounded as if it would be his obituary.

An advocate of hard work being the cure, O' Rourke and his coaching team of Ryan Eagleson, Peter Johnston and manager Brian Walsh got stuck into the task, and the results were encouraging.

A vastly improved batting display against West Indies saw us post over 150, and despite a 7 wicket loss, there were signs that things were turning around.

That proved to be the case with convincing wins over Bermuda and Zimbabwe. James Hall and Paul Stirling shared a century stand, and skipper Greg Thompson showed exactly why he is the joint leading wicket taker in World Cup history. Andrew Britton shone with the ball against Zimbabwe, and 4 weeks of working with Ryan Eagleson has clearly paid dividends.

The fielding was of a much higher standard in the latter stages of the tour, and team spirit was much improved. Those were the two aspects that had been so frustrating for me from the sidelines in the first part of the competition. Although the heat and humidity were certainly factors initially, there were players who showed an alarming lack of pace and mobility in the field. If these guys are out of shape at 18, then they aren't going to get any fitter as they get older.

More baffling for me was the divided nature of the Irish camp - too many seemed more concerned about their own individual performances, than that of the team. While it was great to see so many parents having made considerable sacrifices  to follow their respective sons, it would be fair to say that some had a detrimental effect on the morale of the team.

Journalist David Townsend, writing in the Irish press,  has called for a 'Code of Etiquette' for both the players and parents. The Irish Cricket Union would do well to heed his advice.

As with any Under 19 side, it's unrealistic to expect all to go to play at Senior international level - 3 or 4 seems to be the norm, and it has to be said that Ireland tends to better than most countries in this regard.

Greg Thompson has already played, and Paul Stirling has earned a call up for the tour to UAE and Bangladesh. Thompson bowled better here than in Sri Lanka, overcoming a shaky start. He still has work to do if he is to break into the ODI side, but he'd always be in my 4 day side for the variety he brings. He was one of the few exceptions to my criticism of the Irish fielding, and he can also bat a bit. A multi-dimensional cricketer as Adrian Birrell would have said. Stirling suffered more than most with the heat, but did show glimpses of his potential with half centuries against New Zealand and Bermuda. He is far from the finished article, but with hard work can have a bright future.

Of the rest, James Hall and Andrew Britton were the players who stood out. Hall has a very mature outlook on the game, and a cool head. Primarily a front foot player, he struggled at times with short pitched bowling, but has the ability to learn. He too has work to do on the fitness side, but if he can get that right, then he'll play for Ireland this year. He has a safe pair of hands, and is a more than useful off spin bowler.

The very affable Andy Britton was the big surprise for most. He wasn't a certainity to be in the squad never mind the team last year, but has emerged as the premier strike bowler. He's big, strong and has a capacity to learn. He bowled quick, back of a length straight, and troubled many of the batsmen he faced. To be brutally honest, I thought Eddie Richardson of North County would have been a better selection pre tournament, but boy have I loved being proved wrong!

The last Donemana born player to represent Ireland - William Porterfield - made the most of his ability, and if Britton shows the same capacity for hard work, then a Senior call up may not be too far away.

Of the rest, there's definitely talent there, but work to be done. Shane Getkate has something about him - he's very composed at the crease, and looks like scoring runs. The fact that he can bowl as well is an added bonus. Chris Dougherty and Ben Ackland play the quicker stuff well, but looked horribly out of sorts against spin. James Shannon, Andrew Balbirnie and Graham Mc Donnell showed too few flashes of their undoubted talent, but time is on their side. It's heartening in one way to know that 7 of the current squad will be eligible in two years time as well. Stuart Poynter overcame a shaky start to finish well, while the unfortunate Gavin Mc Kenna will be hoping better times lie ahead in 2008. He still figures in Phil Simmon's plans.

As with the 2006 squad, a 13th place finish, and a strong end to the tournament. That shouldn't disguise the fact that we were completely demolished by both England and Bangladesh. The Test countries are pumping an ever increasing amount of finance and resource into their youth set-ups, and if we are to keep pace, then money is needed urgently in this area.

Richard Holdsworth, ICC Europe Regional Development Manager found the funding to send the squad to India for 5 days - more of this type of trip is needed. More cricket, and a better quality of cricket in as many different environe-ments as possible is what is required.

Finance, as always seems to be the case with the Associates, is the problem. Let's hope for the future generations of Irish cricket, that a solution in the form of major sponsorship and income streams is found.