There is no doubt about the most improved team in the NCU Premier League this season. Sitting proudly near the top with three wins out of four are Instonians.

Last year, they were a bottom four side after the split and finished the campaign in eighth place, with only the two promoted sides below them. What a difference a year makes.

Not only have they lost only one meaningful match – and that a 20-over rearrangement – but the victory margins in the others have been resounding, by 139 runs, 238 runs and eight wickets. And, they have already taken that form onto the Irish Cup stage, hammering Malahide on their international ground by 123 runs.

Ahead of a huge double header in the league and Irish Cup, Nikolai Smith didn’t want to jinx their form in our interview but admitted the guys are excited.

“We haven’t had a weekend like this in a long time and although we are going into it we can’t say we favourites, in fact we should lose both games,” he says. "But it will give us a good gauge of where we are at.”

First up is CIYMS, the favourites for this year’s league title and on Sunday, revenge will be in the air when they face Lisburn – their conquerors in that 20-over league match - in the Irish Cup.

“If you are going to go far in the Irish Cup you have to beat good teams but you want to play good teams when you are on a good run,” added Smith. “Lisburn set the standard last year, along with CI (who won all the cups) and these are the sort of weekends you want to be involved in and with both games at Shaw’s (Bridge) that’s the best outcome we could have asked for in the Cup.”

 Smith, who has taken over the captaincy for a second spell, says it is getting their full-strength side on the field that has made the difference this season.

“Not only that, but the guys have taken responsibility for their own performance and want to put on a better show than previously. We want to be in the top six, last year we didn’t enjoy being in the bottom four. There is also a great team environment, everybody gets on well and puts a big emphasis on that."

With a couple of players having left and some at university, slots at the top of the order became available and Rob McKinley, as opener, and Cade Carmichael, arguably the player of the season so far, have, in Smith’s words, grabbed it with both hands.

“Rob earned that spot last year, he got a couple of hundreds last year and wanted to open and weight of runs keeps him there. Cade jumped at the chance to bat No 3 and like Cian Robertson has worked really hard. Both are a year older and they want to go much higher than just playing for Instonians and their inter-pro performances this season have shown that.”

Add on New Zealand Irish passport holder Daniel Rose and South African professional Shane Dadswell, who is “happy to pass on his knowledge and is just a brilliant guy" and they have a nucleus of a successful team.

This weekend will not define Instonians’ season but two wins will certainly make the rest of the teams – if they haven’t already - sit up and take notice.