Unfortunately there will be no local sides involved. It is difficult to pick out a tie of the round, as all the favourites have been kept apart.
For the romantics it is probably the meeting of North Down and Laurelvale. North Down has won five of the last seven Challenge trophy finals and Laurelvale the only Section Two side left in the competition.
The added spice comes in the shape of the McCrum brothers Charlie and Paul who both played for North Down and enjoyed cup success there. Many will recall the 1994 tied final against Lisburn.
Laurelvale captain Charlie McCrum is looking forward to going back to The Green and another day on the big stage:
“Any batsman should look forward to playing at Comber the wicket is superb, if we can get some runs on the board let’s see what happens. As a unit the Top 4 have not clicked together yet, I have had two scores in the cup but still don’t really feel in form.
Our fielding has moved up a gear from last season and the addition of Bruce Topping behind the stumps has certainly given us another dimension.”
Topping missed that 1994 final as it took place two days before he left for the Commonwealth Games. North Down remains short odds to make the semi-final.
Cup holder Waringstown will be looking to progress at the expense of CSNI who were given a useful workout by last years beaten finalists CIYMS in the second round. CSNI are inconsistent but on their day could mount a challenge against a side that will be without Kyle McCallan.
Instonians will take on Lisburn as they look to protect their unbeaten record. Captain John Stevenson is well aware that they will need to perform as a unit rather than rely on the one man shows that have seen them win matches in the Irish Senior Cup and the last round of the Challenge Cup.
Andrew White who saw them through in the Irish Cup is unavailable due to international commitments and it is unreasonable to expect the heroics displayed by the captain himself who engineered a miracle result against Cliftonville.
Lisburn’s defeat of Lurgan in the last round was based around a team performance with Uel Graham, David Simpson and Greg Thompson all playing major roles.
The final match sees Carrickfergus up against Downpatrick’s conquerors Bangor and this could go either way. The form line would suggest that as Bangor has beaten Downpatrick twice this season and Downpatrick scored 300 in accounting for Carrick that Bangor will be in the semi-final draw next week.
Courtesy of the Down Democrat
