Ahead of a pivotal weekend for Waringstown which could finish with a place booked in the final of both the Arthur J Gallagher Challenge Cup and O’Neills Ulster Cup, captain Lee Nelson was in pretty sombre mood - about the weather.

“Chances of play at The Lawn on Saturday are slim following a deluge on Wednesday evening resulting in water getting under the covers. In terms of the team we are at full strength for Saturday, we will be going full tilt for it.

“As a team we want to make amends for our failure at the same stage last season.

“We know CSNI are a good cup team and they gave us a tough match in the league game at Stormont.

“They have good players the likes of Mansoor Amjad and Shane Getkate, but we will simply concentrate on executing our plans.

“It is fairly well known that we will look to get a couple of early wickets with the seamers and look to tighten things up and apply pressure with the spinners.

“We are probably at our best putting a score on the board, but we will be ready whatever way it turns out.

“Cup semi-finals are a day for experience and we have plenty of that around.”

And Nelson knows how much it means to be in a final.

“Everything, it hurts not to be there, I certainly don’t want to be going along to watch someone else play in it.

“This is the showpiece event of our Union.When you play for Waringstown there is always pressure, we are expected to win, others might look at and say its a big weekend but the mindset will be the same the only thing that is different is the outcome.”

If either game should be postponed it is understood that the reserve date will be July 17 as the original date of next Sunday clashes with the Irish Senior Cup which both Waringstown and CIYMS are still involved in.

And Nelson is also looking forward to the Ulster Cup clash.

“Well I suppose you might say this is a competition that we have not won and that is something we need to address, but we will stick by our policy of giving youth a chance.

“So Kyle McCallan and Johnny Bushe step down to be replaced by James Mitchell and Marcus McClean.

“Again we know we are coming up against quality player is the likes of Decker Curry, Gary Neilly and Stevie Dunn, but we will be going for broke.”

In the other semi-final holders North Down host the in form Brigade.