T20 Dominates weekend schedule

There’s something of a break for the majority of local clubs this coming weekend as attention switches to the Interprovincial T20 Blitz which gets underway in Dublin on Saturday morning.

The T20 competition is the only one that involves all four unions, this being the only format in which the Munster Reds participate. The teams will play each other once between Saturday and Monday and that will account for half of the entire fixture schedule, with the second half set to follow in the North West in the middle of August.

Ian MacGregor was still trying to finalise his squad up until the middle of the week however it appears likely that Boyd Rankin, William Porterfield, Craig Young, Andy McBrine and Stuart Thompson will all travel south.

The Warriors Head Coach will be hopeful that the weather relents after rain interrupted his side’s 3-day game against Leinster Lightning at Bready over the past few days.

The Warriors haven’t fared all that well in the T20 format since winning the tournament in 2014 and McGregor will be looking for some form of improvement over the coming days.

There are a number of domestic T20 games set to take place locally over the weekend as well, with double-headers at both Ballyspallen and Coleraine on Saturday.

The main action in the regiin however concerns the two outstanding Senior Cup quarter-final replays which will hopefully be decided on Sunday.

At the Bleachgreen, Ardmore will attempt to continue their successful start to the summer when they entertain Premiership side Eglinton. The villagers will be with out their talisman, Stuart Thompson who will obviously be tied up with the Warriors at Pembroke.

His absence will certainly levels the playing field and with Decker Curry and Peet Pienaar currently at the top of their game, Ardmore are certainly in with a shout in this one.

The tie between Ballyspallen and Strabane also looks to be too close to call. The home team will be without Graham Kennedy whilst the visitors will be missing Aaron Gillespie both of whom will also be in Dublin.

Much could well depend on which side copes best with the loss of one of their big game players, although the contribution of the respective overseas players could also be a big factor.

The draw for the semi-finals of this year’s Senior Cup will subsequently be held on Monday morning.