It’s down to the last four of the National Cup with yet again two North v South clashes.

The competition’s most successful side, three-times winners Rush are on the road to Ballyspallen hoping to reach yet another decider.

Rush skipper Jarred Barnes is no stranger to the region having played for both Coleraine, Armagh and the Warriors with great distinction before moving South, firstly to YMCA then Rush in 2019.

“The National Cup is a competition that Rush holds close to their hearts and we are hoping to correct the mistakes we made last season at this stage,” said Barnes.

“As a team we are in great form with everyone contributing at different times throughout  the season. I can honestly say that this season has been one of amazing team performances, with every player knowing their role and executing it when required. 

“Josh Doyle (Australian Pro) already has two hundreds this season. One in the T20 competition and another in the league. Let's see if he can add a National Cup ton to the CV!”

Rush are unchanged for the clash with Ballyspallen, but the Co.Derry side have at least one major absence with Ireland A international Graham Kennedy back in Australia. There are also doubts over a number of players, but skipper Stephen Kennedy remains upbeat.

“The team is looking forward to this one, at the start of the season, the aim was always to have a decent run in this cup competition, but to get to the semi-final is a credit to the hard work the guys have put in this season, and who knows what can happen. 

“We have played Rush a few times over the years and we know we are up against a very good side, but it will be an excellent game I believe.

“Regarding the team, we have a few guys doing late fitness tests to see for the weekend, hopefully all goes well and we will have a team ready to give everything.”

The other tie sees a major reunion with no fewer than three Strabane players having played previously with opponents North County – John Mooney, Usman Azhar and Muddy Rajput.

“It’s another massive weekend for North County, we’ve a long drive on Saturday to face Cork County in the league to try and maintain our place at the top of the table, followed of course by this National Cup Semi Final,” said County skipper Niall McGovern.

“But we’ve prepared well so we’re confident we can get the job done. This is the cup we targeted at the start of the year so we’re all looking forward to the chance to book ourselves a spot in the final.

“We have a fairly settled team by now, a couple of changes this week sees Ciaran Sheridan come in to compliment the batting unit after a couple of good scores for the seconds, and a seamer will come in in place of Sean Sludds, who’ll be following along on his phone from his honeymoon in Italy!

“We’ve had plenty of away games in this competition over the last few years against teams unknown to us, in conditions we’re not familiar with, so we were delighted to get a home draw on Sunday. There’s also a lot of familiar faces in the opposition side, with John Boy, Usman and Muddy all former North County players. So, both sets of players are obviously going to be right up for it, and it should be a great game of cricket.”

Strabane skipper Kevin Gallagher is chasing trophies on no fewer than four fronts, and faces what could well be a pivotal weekend in two of those quests.

“It’s another massive weekend pending for the club,” said Gallagher. “But the lads seem really up for the challenge in the second half of the season.

“We know it will be tough, but if we just stick to what we have been doing then I’m certain we will have a lot of success. It won’t be easy at North County but we are all fully motivated and relishing the opportunity. We are at full strength for the games, so we are all excited to see what the weekend brings.”