Lisburn begin three weeks of Cup matches

The first is a trip to North West Championship team Glendermott for the opening round of the Irish Cup.

Lisburn have a poor record in this competition over many years and would dearly love a tilt at this trophy.

Last season they fell at the first hurdle when they lost heavily to Clontarf in Dublin but this week they must have a good chance of reaching the second round when they play Glendermott.

However, as seen last season with the their two matches against North West opposition. They won by a single wicket against Brigade and then lost the match of the season against Donemana on the day which saw Craig Ervine score 200 runs and still lose the game.

Glendermott have some very useful players in their squad making three transfers within the league teams and bringing South African professional Eden Links to the Rectory.

Again, Lisburn will have to be at much improved after their opening match against Instonians where they lost by 7 wickets after failing to score sufficient runs to threaten their opponents.

The middle order must sell their wickets more dearly and aim for a competitive score especially important on the smaller ground in the North West.

The run of knock out cup games continues the following Saturday with a trip to Comber to take on North Down in the first round of the Challenge Cup while on the 16th May, Lisburn entertain Donemana in the Ulster Cup.

Three crucial matches coming up which usually define the length and success of the season even at this early stage.

Lisburn Team

The Lisburn team to play Glendermott in the Irish Senior Cup Ist round at The Rectory on Saturday May 9 at 1pm is at follows:

David Simpson (Captain), Darryl Brown, Robert Rankin, Richard Simpson, Glen Hallday, Richard McConkey, Callum Atkinson, Neil Kilpatrick, Aaron McKeown, Graeme Browne and Peter Ferguson.

Ferguson comes in for James Magowan who is unavailable.