Both sides are packed with talent and experienced matchwinners, but current form favours the Old Boys and the Comber cup kingpins have a lot to do to set aside recent indifferent form and get their season back on track. That might seem strange for a team sitting at the top of the league table alongside their cup opponents, but two poor batting performances against Lisburn have highlighted a deficiency not normally associated with North Down.
Instonians have cruised to the final with emphatic wins over Woodvale, Civil Service North and Muckamore in the controversial postponed semi-final. North Down have also had a comfortable passage with wins over Ballymena, Downpatrick and Lisburn. The Wallace Park team reached the last four on the back of a controversial Bowl-Out win over cup holders Waringstown, and surely the time has come for this method of elimination to be removed from the NCU’s premier competition to avoid further controversy? Lisburn did nothing wrong, but the Villagers were entitled to defend their trophy in a cricket match not a lottery.
Another string to the Instonians bow will be the memory of their cup final victory at The Green three years ago, and although some of the principal performers on that occasion are still in the frame, both teams will show significant changes. That victory was the first and only Challenge Cup win for the Belfast club and set against North Down’s 29 wins from 49 cup final appearances they are certainly well short on Senior Cup pedigree. But that counts for nothing in knock-out competition and come Friday morning skippers Eugene Moleon and Peter Shields won’t be dwelling too much on the past to get their inspiration. Shields has an impressive list of successes as North Down captain and he would dearly love to add another cup win to his CV, but if the Comber team is going to eclipse their Belfast rivals then a lot depends on his batsmen as The Green has one of the best batting tracks in the country and low scores don’t win matches. And therein lies the biggest test for Shields and his batsmen as they have not been consistent enough this season. 
The Jewel in the North Down crown remains Ryan Haire, arguably the best batsman in Ulster cricket, and with two centuries under his belt this season he may be the difference between the two teams. He should have plenty of support, but too often in recent matches Shields and Johnny Terrett have been the rescue acts in the middle order. North Down will also be without the promising Ali Shields who is on Under 19 duty with Ireland, but teenager Peter Eakin has a wonderful platform to show the Ireland Under 19 selectors what they will be missing.
Instonians have an injury doubt with their talented all-rounder James Shannon but they have strong support in experienced batsmen like Rory McCann and John Stevenson. However, former North Down stalwart Andrew White still poses the biggest threat to his former club. Veteran Ireland international “Whitey” will need no motivation to put another one over his former colleagues and repeat his 2009 heroics, but he’ll also expect no quarter from the partisan Comber support and former teammates who will relish the opportunity to lock horns again in a cup final.
Despite the inclement weather local grounds Guru Raymond “Sangster” Moreland has promised a good batting track and both teams know from experience it will take a good score to land the trophy on this famous sward. It is the 122nd Challenge Cup Final and with sponsors Ulster Bank still in the frame we all hope their senior staff get some respite from the torrid time they have endured in the past four weeks.
Let’s hope the weather is kind and cricket wins.
Clarence Hiles
Editor
