It’s back to the bread and butter of league cricket following last week-end’s plethora of cup competitions and before next week-end’s first round in the Northern Bank Senior Cup, and teams will be keen to get points on the board this Saturday. The local sides performed quite well in the All Ireland and Ulster Cups so far and they will be hoping to build on that now.

BRIGADE V KILLYMALLAGHT

Despite winning the league title last season Brigade came unstuck against Killymallaght in the first game of that campaign and will be keen to ensure that there is no repeat this time around. Both sides put up solid performances at the weekend although Brigade managed two wins whilst the visitors’ interest in the Club Turf and All Ireland has now ended. The home side are 2 from 2 in the title race and their overall strength in depth is there for all to see. Skipper Charlie Elder has an embarrassment of riches to call on at present and there looks to be few chinks in the armour.

Killymallaght were still without their professional Danza Hyatt up until this week but are confident that he will be here in time for this one. Gareth McKeegan, Chris Cooper and co proved that they are by no means a one man band however as they gave Instonians a real scare on Saturday, and they will have taken plenty of heart from that performance. The champions though look in no mood to slip up and will expect to have the full six by close of play.

DONEMANA V LIMAVADY

No matter how things are going for either side, this is one contest that is guaranteed to draw a big crowd but with both sides going well it could be a real cracker this time. Azhar Shafiq certainly found the Inter Provincial tournaments to his liking and is a difficult man to bowl to when he’s in the groove, and James McBrine has made a wonderful start to the season for the Holm team. Despite reservations about a lack of depth in the team they have made an ideal start and will see this as the perfect opportunity to stake their claim for honours.

David Cooke was able to call on a full squad last Saturday despite his concerns about availability and he will be delighted to have Decker Curry back on board for a return to his old stomping ground. Their overseas man Aghar Sabir is a very attacking player and looks sure to enjoy the compact Tyrone venue, but those wily twins and Jordan McGonagle won’t mind pitting their wits against him. Richard McDaid has also been among the runs and with Andrew Riddles, Mark McDaid, Chris Moore and skipper Cooke available as well, Limavady might have enough to peg back their hosts.

ARDMORE V FOX LODGE

A game of major significance here as both sides are sure to be looking at each other as teams they need to pick up points against in the battle to avoid relegation. Neither have the distraction of anything other than domestic competition now and whoever wins here will enjoy the benefit of a major boost to their survival campaign. Ardmore can boast a well balanced attack in Brian, Gerard and George Brolly backed up by the spin of another Brolly, Lee, and Ciaran Curley, but their batting has been their undoing thus far. A lot will depend on the likes of Paul Brolly, Curley, Kevin Martin and professional Riswan Aslam both in this game and for the remainder of the campaign.

The visitors fairly trounced Glendermott at the start of the season, albeit at a time when everybody was trouncing Glendermott, but in Brian Allen and Jason Milligan have two players capable of taking the game away from opponents on their own. The North West Development Officer though seems to continually get himself out in the thirties and forties when the hard work is done and he must be wary of that concentration problem himself. Both Stuart Clarke and Johnny Robinson have improved with the ball in recent seasons too and in a game that could go either way Ardmore may just have more to prove.

BREADY V STRABANE

Another decent contest this between two sides capable of beating anyone on their day and equally capable of being beaten by anyone the next. Strabane have ranged between that strange opening day performance against Brigade to the one who dumped a highly fancied Instonians out of the Ulster Cup on Sunday whilst Bready were tame in the league at Limavady and impressive against Derriaghy last week. The Magheramason men are difficult to beat on their own patch and the young side has definitely benefitted from another year together, whilst the more seasoned campaigners have started to offer a little more protection to the top order.

Strabane, with Peter and Mark Gillespie and Jonathan Beuckes starting to find their range look like a side who if they had Phil Eaglestone available would be challenging for major honours this term. They do lack a little depth lower in the order but if the top five get into their stride that won’t matter much. Another game that could go either way but on current form the visitors might win.

EGLINTON V GLENDERMOTT

Will he come, won’t he come? At this stage Glendermott will surely have made their minds made up on an overseas professional and as they currently sit without a league point to their name will also be disappointed if they expect any sympathy for their plight. That is not to say there’s any shortage of decent cricketers at The Rectory, Neil Russell has been able to give them a couple of useful, if not spectacular starts, but they are a side capable of so much more. Bob Robinson has yet to catch fire, Gordon Montgomery and Tom Riddles too, but Garth Watson posted a superb unbeaten half century in Sunday’s Club Turf win over Derriaghy and Wajihuddin played well also. Johnny Thompson has been absolutely on fire with the ball of late and on his day the skipper is as good a cricketer as there is in the country. The other half of their opening partnership, Martin Dalzell has bowled with limited success however and has yet to really produce the goods.

The key to this game however could be the professionals. If Glendermott have one, and one in particular, they will go into the game with a different outlook. In the other corner will be an overseas man that the Rectory lads know all too well, and they will begrudgingly agree that he is one of the top men around the region at the minute. Pravajan Mullick may have had his faults during his time at The Rectory but his ability was never in question. He is well capable of making a big impression in this game and if he does it will be difficult for the visitors.