County bid to make history

CRICKET IRISH SENIOR CUP:IN MANY respects it may be the lesser of the stick and ball All-Ireland deciders this weekend, but today's Bob Kerr Irish Senior Cup final between North County and Donemana at Strabane (12.0) will be as competitive as Sunday's big game at Croke Park.

North County are aiming to become the first side to defend their title after beating near neighbours The Hills by 105 runs in last year's decider.

It was their fourth title in seven years in a competition they have dominated since the start of the century, although the superstitious will point out they only win it in odd-numbered years.

It has been an amazing turnaround in a competition in which they failed to win a game in their first eight years, only to follow that with just five losses in the last 10 stagings.

Two of those early losses came at the hands of Donemana, but County have won the last two outings between the sides, including a semi-final victory in 2003 on the way to winning their second title.

County have been boosted by news that skipper Andre Botha has been passed fit after having to leave the field in last week's Leinster Senior Cup final defeat to Clontarf, complaining of heart palpitations. "I went for an ECG scan and the ticker is still okay," said the Ireland all-rounder.

"The doctors think it was a gastro reaction from all the anti-inflammatories I have had to take. I'm going to stop the tablets for a month and they are going to do a few more tests to make sure everything is 100 per cent."

North County make one change from that defeat, with the big-hitting Adrian Murphy coming in for Brian Shields in the middle order.

Donemana have had a fine season and can win the North West league title if they win their final game against Brigade this weekend. In professional Azhar Shafique and former Ireland international twin brothers James and Junior McBrine they have proven match-winners. Captain Dwayne McGerrigle and Jordan McGonigle are also very useful players.

But Botha is counting on his side's experience of the big occasion, especially in this competition, to come to the fore today.

"The guys have played in enough finals now to know what to do and how to go about it. Someone mentioned to me that no team has retained the cup before, but there's always a first time for everything,"

NORTH COUNTY:A Botha (capt), C Armstrong, D Armstrong (wkts), D De Cruz, C Garry, D Harper, R Lawrence, J Mooney, A Murphy, E Richardson, R Strydom..

DONEMANA:D McGerrigle (capt), G Boyd, A Britton, R Dougherty (wkts), S Dunn, A McBrine, J McBrine, R McBrine, J McGonigle, D Olphert, A Shafique.