...and those pundits that are already predicting another Leinster victory may end up with egg on their faces come September.
Yes, recent history is on the side of the Dublin clubs, but cricket dominance moves in cycles and while strong NCU contenders Waringstown came a cropper at Rush, they're not the first club to fall at this feisty venue.
When all's said and done, the culture of knock-out competition is elimination and every round will have its surprises until we reach the semi-finals and the crème de la crème of Irish club cricket. We've only touched the surface so far and it would be a brave pundit who callously dismissed northern hopes while North Down, Instonians, Limavady and Donemana were still in the frame.
There are eight northern teams still in the competition which says a lot for their hopes given that Leinster clubs have dominated the competition in recent times with Railway Union contesting three of the last four finals.
But Limavady, Donemana and North Down are all previous winners and despite all the huff and puff surrounding paid players in the Dublin scene, these clubs pack as much punch on their day and have the ability to topple any team if they step up to the plate. Add high-flying Instonians and you have a strong quartet from which the next northern winner is most likely to come. Anything else would be a welcome surprise.
Only two NCU clubs have reached the Irish Senior Cup final in the past nine years and you have to go back to 1995 to get the last NCU winner, ironically North Down. It marked the end of a decade of NCU dominance in the competition and sparked a period of North-West superiority until the Dublin clubs got their act together at the turn of the century. Limavady broke that dominance in 2004 and although they face a tough tie at Rush in the next round, there are few better clubs at dealing with small ground syndrome and partisan supporters than the Roesiders.
It all comes down to commitment and focus, something that the northern clubs have shown little of in this competition in recent times, but one senses there's a change in the air this season and with North Down celebrating its sesquicentenary, Instonians bidding for their first senior trophy in 43 years, Donemana leading the way from the North-West and Limavady keen to win back the laurels of two years ago, it promises much more northern competition than we've had for some time. That can only be good for the competition overall.
Indeed what about an all northern All Ireland final in memory of the late great Bob Kerr whose name has been added to our premier club competition this year?
