BUSY WEEKEND AHEAD AS SEASON EDGES TOWARDS THRILLING CONCLUSION

There are just two weekends of the scheduled domestic cricket programme to go not withstanding the need for play-offs and action comes thick and fast in the next few days with no fewer than nine games down for decision. Coleraine and Donemana go into the penultimate weekend locked together at the top of the table after the latter recorded three wins in four days and both have tricky looking double-headers to contend with.

The Bannsiders are at the Rectory on Saturday to take on a Glendermott team in desperate need of the points themselves at the other end of the table. Ian McGregor's men will be buoyed by the return of Scott Campbell after his month away on under-19 World Cup duty but they may also have Chinthaka Jayasinghe in the side as well depending on this weeks' results in the Sri Lankan Premier League. Gordon Montgomery's team may be in the driving seat if eighth place comes down to a tie as they have already beaten Fox Lodge twice but the Ballymagorry side have a game in hand so points remain at a premium. After their trip to Bonds Street, Coleraine then entertain Brigade on Sunday in another crunch contest, Mark Simpson's outfit back on song after two very convincing wins last weekend. The Beechgrove boys may not retain the title this season but they could well have a considerable say in who does.

Having finished off Limavady's ambitions on Sunday past Brigade could prove troublesome not only for Coleraine this time but also for Strabane, whom they host on Saturday. The Red Caps must be fairly kicking themselves after their spectacular collapse at home to the Bannsiders last time and it is an all-or-nothing weekend for them too. They follow up their trip to the Waterside with another away day at the Holm on Sunday knowing that two wins and they are right back in it. Martin Deans doesn't need us to tell him that they have been undone by yet more inconsistency this year but it would be very foolish to rule them out too soon.

Donemana now have the poisoned chalice of the championship favourites tag but Richard Kee has been around long enough not to get carried away by that. They had a superb weekend last time with those huge wins against Limavady and Coleraine and a very nervy verdict over Creevedonnell on Tuesday night but must do it all again now against Fox Lodge and rivals Strabane over these two vital days. Just like the Bannsiders, Donemana are themselves back to full strength with the return of Andy McBrine and Ryan Hunter from Australia. Kee's team have done exceptionally well to stay bang in the mix despite a very heavy recent workload and they will have caught up on their league fixtures by Sunday despite all the problems caused by those impressive cup runs. McBrine missed the final games in the Under-19 tournament due to a finger injury and didn't play at Creevedonnell during the week either but it will no doubt take a lot more than that to keep him out of club colours this weekend. Mind you a run-in of Fox Lodge, Brigade, Strabane and Coleraine is no �gimme� so the Holm side will know they will need to be at their very best the whole way through. The Fox Lodge game in particular could be a real banana skin given that the Ballymagorry men are desperate for points themselves. They have beaten some of the title challengers in a second half of the season where their form has been generally better and they will look to surprise another one here.


Bready aren't out of the running either and things could get very interesting if they too could come away with maximum points from their busy weekend. Davy Scanlon's team should be too strong for already relegated Bonds Glen on Saturday and wouldn't be without a chance when they host the Roesiders on Sunday either. Andrew Riddles will be disappointed by the form his side has shown in recent weeks and many people's pick for this year's title were one of the first to crack when the chips went down. They remain a very dangerous opponent of course, especially when cast as the underdog so that could be a lively encounter. Limavady start their weekend at Creevedonnell, Stephen Scroggie's side having been relegated following Tuesday night's reverse at home to the table-toppers.

That just leaves the crucial game between Fox Lodge and Creevedonnell and confirmation is awaited on whether that one will be played on Sunday afternoon or over three evenings starting on Monday. It is such a vital match for the Foxies in their bid to steer clear of that eighth place finish and skipper Jonny Robinson knows that a win there and one in their final two fixtures against Donemana and Bready could be the difference in playing in Division 1 or 2 next year. There has been little or nothing between themselves and Glendermott this season but that critical head-to-head statistic will prove particularly troublesome if they fail to find at least one and probably two wins in their last three matches.

Eglinton look set to be crowned Division 2 champions this week if they can beat nearest challengers St Johnston in one of two meetings in the space of four days between the sides. The teams are due to settle their long-standing re-arranged T20 at the Boathole last night and tonight before they cross swords again on Saturday at Eglinton. A win for the villagers in either of those would seem them pick up the championship trophy and earn themselves a crack at either Fox Lodge or Glendermott in a one off play-off in two weeks' time. Burndennett have already been given the nod to host that crucial shoot-out on 15 August but a lot of cricket still remains to be played between now and then.