ALL-IRELAND ACTION TO THE FORE AS BOB KERR CUP TAKES CENTRE STAGE

This Saturday sees one of the most eagerly anticipated days of the domestic cricket season as the ten North West Division 1 clubs pit their skills against teams from all over the country in the first round of the Bob Kerr Irish Senior Cup. Donemana, Strabane, Limavady and Brigade are among those competing that have already won the competition while at the other end of the spectrum, Bonds Glen could hardly have wished for a more difficult introduction as they make their debut. Here�s a look at the ties involving all the local sides-

EGLINTON V CORK COUNTY

After a desperately disappointing 2010 the Villagers have shown very clear signs of recovery and this is a contest Andy Christie�s men will certainly fancy. New professional Ryan Butterworth has settled in very quickly and with Chris Pierce bang at the top of his game at the minute things look a little brighter all of a sudden. The return of Richard Wylie helps and if Richard Stewart, Johnny Gardiner and Neal Stewart are in form this could well be Eglinton�s day. The visitors have obviously drawn the short straw, geographically at least, and haven�t had much luck when paired against North West sides in the past. The journey home could well be a long one again but there won�t be much in it.

LIMAVADY V THE HILLS

A few years ago this game wouldn�t have been out of place as a final but both sides have lost key players in the past couple of seasons and have yet to prove that they would be up to challenging for the trophy come September. The visitors have lost Jeremy Bray to Phoenix although there is plenty of quality left in the shape of Mike Baumgart, Max Sorensen and the Clinton brothers Joe and Luke so they won�t be taken lightly. David Cooke has joined Ian McGregor at Coleraine leaving Limavady without a recognised keeper but the possibility of Pakistan�s Adnan Akmal coming in remains. Any side with Decker Curry always has a chance and skipper Andrew Riddles has also started the season well. Home advantage could swing this one.

BRIGADE V NORTH DOWN

This is potentially the tie of the round featuring two sides who should know each other pretty well by now. Peter Shiels again skippers a strong Comber outfit with the highly talented Ryan Haire likely to again be his ace in the pack. The visitors� new professional is Australian Ian Moran and with the likes of Timur Khan and Neil Russell in their ranks they will be a tough nut to crack. Brigade have started fairly well and Mark Simpson�s side looks compact, particularly in the bowling. Iftikhar Hussein, David Barr, Chris Dougherty, Gareth McKeegan and Ata-ur-Rehman will need to score heavily between them however if they are to progress. Previous form is stacked in favour of the NCU side and they start favourites again.

BONDS GLEN V CIVIL SERVICE NORTH

It�s been a tough start to their first season in the top flight for the Bee Gees and it gets no easier here as a very strong Belfast side makes its way to the North West. �North� are skippered by Irish International Nigel Jones and although struggling with a shoulder injury, Reagan West is expected to be included as a batsman for Saturday�s contest. Their professional is New Zealander Mark Ellison and so long as they cope with the compact setting the visitors should be hard to beat. The Bee Gees will relish the opportunity to roll up their sleeves and scrap their illustrious opponents but it would be a major surprise if they were to progress.

STRABANE V RAILWAY UNION

The hosts have had a mixed bag start as they set out on the trail of a hat-trick of North West titles and although they have drawn one of the top sides in the country, they do at least have home advantage. Whilst it�s very much a team game, Strabane�s chances depend very heavily on the contributions of Niall McDonnell, Jonathan Beukes and the Gillespie brothers Mark and Peter. The visitors have a wonderful array of talent at their disposal with Trent Johnston, Tom Fisher and Kenny Carroll all likely to feature while a lot of the attention will no doubt fall on World Cup hero Kevin O�Brien. The visitors lost out in the final last time and will be desperate to put the record straight while Strabane are very dangerous when carrying the underdog tag. This should be well worth watching with Railway fancied to go through.

CLONTARF V COLERAINE

Another old rivalry is renewed here; �Tarf one of the Bannsiders� victims in their impressive run in this competition last season. The Leinster side has started really well this season, including a win over North County and have plenty of big names in the line up. Alex Cusack should start as will Andrew Poynter and their professional is Australian leg spinner Rod Hokin. Coleraine are strengthened by the addition of David Cooke and have a superb blend of youth and experience in the team but the fact that professional Mohammad Salman is involved in Pakistan�s Test series in the West Indies is a big blow to their hopes. The visitors won�t roll over you can be sure of that but they look vulnerable without Salman.

RUSH V DONEMANA

This one has all the makings of a run feast, the Leinster side�s compact venue bearing an uncanny resemblance to that of the visitors. The hosts will rely heavily on the �Rush postmen�- former North West professionals Shahid Iqbal who had a spell at Glendermott and former Strabane player Sadaat Gul and both can be very dangerous customers. Skipper Richard Kee will be hoping to have some of the players back who missed the home defeat by Eglinton at the weekend and much will again depend on the contributions of the McBrines, Ryan Hunter, Dwayne McGarrigle, Dale Olphert and Jordan McGonagle. The visitors� experience could be vital but unless there is major improvement in the locker Rush look to have a slight edge.

INSTONIANS V FOX LODGE

The Foxes were �last man standing� for the North West last season, reaching the semi final before falling to Railway Union. They were hindered then by the loss of their professional Darryl Brown to injury but it�s difficult to suggest that they would have won even with the South African in tow. Brown is back this season and in rude health and in the likes of Andy Britton, Brian Allen, Andrew McGinnis, Graeme McCarter, Gareth Heywood and Mark Mooney the visitors have plenty of players capable of contributing to an upset. Inst have plenty of talent themselves although it is unclear as yet if Pakistani professional Irsan Ahmed will be available to them. There are threats aplenty in the home side including Andy White, Eugene Moleon and wicket keeper/ batsman Rory McCann but if there is to be a surprise in this round, the Foxes could cause it.

CIYMS V BREADY

This has all the makings of a real cracker and both sides go into the contest with genuine hopes of an extended run. The home side�s professional, South African Gulam Bodi looks very useful and with the likes of Ben McCord and Peter Connell also expected to play they will be a difficult proposition for Trevor Hamilton�s side. Bready began the season with emphatic wins over Glendermott and Bonds Glen but found things tougher at home to Brigade on Sunday. Unusually for them their batting was found wanting against the Beechgrove team and they look like they need to get Steven Clarke back in sooner rather than later. If they play to their potential however Bready can win this.

BANGOR V GLENDERMOTT

Two sides to have struggled a little at the start of the season meet on the coast in a game that could go either way. The hosts will rely on Mark Hutchinson and Brian Millar to provide the spark but in truth, whilst this may be the country�s premier cup competition they are probably more concerned with the season as a whole. The same comments could apply to Glendermott but in Stephen Smyth, Roy Silva, Craig Averill and Gordon Montgomery the visitors have players capable of putting it up to anyone on their day. The bowling remains painfully light but the Rectory side looks to carry too many guns and should progress.