Another significant middle-order innings from Paul Collingwood and Andrew Flintoff's best all-round performance of this World Cup helped England start their Super 8s campaign with a 48-run win over Ireland.Anything but a win on Friday would have been a disaster for England, advancing from the first round for the first time since 1996, against the World Cup debutants.Collingwood's 90 runs from 82 balls and Flintoff's 43 lifted England to 266 for seven after a subdued start. Flintoff returned to take four wickets as Ireland were bowled out for 218 in the 49th over.Ireland started as if they only had everything to gain. Paceman Boyd Rankin bowled former teammate Ed Joyce with his first ball for one and removed Michael Vaughan for six to have England in trouble at 23-2.Kevin Pietersen (48) and Ian Bell (31) steadied the innings before Collingwood and Flintoff combined in an 81-run fifth-wicket stand that gave England control. Collingwood belted three sixes and eight boundaries in his second half-century of the tournament before he was run out in the last over.With Collingwood in charge, England piled on 65 runs in their last five overs. Ireland's reply never gathered momentum after losing wickets with the total at six and 11 despite a defiant 63 from Niall O'Brien and a 61-run third-wicket stand he shared with opener William Porterfield (31).A late cameo from skipper Trent Johnston of 27 from 21 balls contained two clouted sixes and moved the score from 139-6 to 197-7 before he was clean bowled by Flintoff. Flintoff had Andrew White (38) trapped lbw in the dying overs and picked off two tailenders to finish with 4-43. Panesar returned 2-31 in conditions suited to slow bowling. Sajid Mahmood went wicketless, but his brilliant run-out of Eoin Morgan (2) with a reflex throw at the non-striker's end from his own bowling had Ireland reeling at 11-2.The English openers failed, with Joyce leaving a Rankin delivery that pitched on length and cut back slightly to take out off-stump.After Vaughan went out, caught behind off Rankin, Pietersen and Bell shared a 66-run partnership in 15 overs until the O'Brien brothers combined to halt the stand. Kevin O'Brien ended Bell's 71-ball knock when the England No. 3 brushed an edge off the back of his glove to wicketkeeper Niall O'Brien.McCallan, the Ireland vice-captain, bowled an economical 10-over spell, picking up a wicket for 38 runs and tying the England fifth-wicket pair down in the middle overs. Collingwood bided his time in a stand with Flintoff and started to unleash some powerful strokes in a 51-run partnership with Paul Nixon, who hit 19 from 15 balls. Flintoff hit a composed 43 from 62 balls before chopping an attempted cut shot onto his stumps off Johnston.ScoreboardEngland: Michael Vaughan c Niall O’Brien b Rankin 6, d Joyce b Rankin 1, Ian Bell c Niall O’Brien b Kevin O’Brien 31, Kevin Pietersen c Porterfield b McCallan 48, Paul Collingwood run out 90, Andrew Flintoff b Johnston 43, Paul Nixon c Morgan b Botha 19, Ravi Bopara not out 10, Sajid Mahmood not out 0.Extras: (2lb, 3nb, 13w) 18; Total (for seven wkts, 50overs) 266.Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-23, 3-89, 4-113, 5-194, 6-245, 7-258.Bowling: Langford-Smith 7-0-38-0, Rankin 7-1-28-2, Johnston 10-0-70-1, Botha 10-1-56-1, O’Brien 4-0-26-1, McCallan 10-0-38-1, White 2-0-8-0.Ireland: William Porterfield c Bell b Flintoff 31, Jeremy Bray c Bopara b Anderson 0, Eoin Morgan run out (Mahmood) 2, Niall O’Brien st Nixon b Vaughan 63, Andre Botha c Flintoff b Panesar 18, Kevin O’Brien lbw b Panesar 12, Trent Johnston b Flintoff 27, Andrew White c Nixon b Collingwood 38, Kyle McCallan b Flintoff 5, David Langford-Smith lbw b Flintoff 1, Boyd Rankin not out 4.Extras: (3lb, 9w, 5nb) 17; Total (all out, 48.1 overs) 218.Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-11, 3-72, 4-116, 5-139, 6-139, 7-197, 8-209-8, 9-210.Bowling: Anderson 7-1-35-1, Mahmood 8-2-34-0, Flintoff 8.1-1-43-4, Collingwood 6-0-38-1, Panesar 10-1-31-2, Vaughan 9-0-34-1.-JOHN PYE
