cricket

The Section One pair will face off at Moylena in the only match that sees two second-tier sides come up against each other.

Cregagh - who would have been the favourites of many for promotion before the season started after winning the Robinson Services Trophy in 2020 - sit third in the league while Muckamore occupy eighth following two wins from eight matches.

Both have recent success in this competition with Cregagh reaching the quarter-final in 2019 and Muckamore went one better by making it to the semi-finals before losing out to Instonians.

The winner will almost certainly take on a Premier League side in the next round and Cregagh captain Aaron Johnston relishes those big occasions.

“There’s a pretty good chance that the winner of Saturday will get a Premier League team in the next round,” he said.

“We have looked forward to those games in the Challenge Cup in the last few years and getting a taste of what it might be like if we do manage to get promoted.”

Cregagh are an ambitious club and Premier League promotion is the target they have set themselves ahead of next season.

The top two teams in Section One will go up at the end of this campaign - positions currently occupied by unbeaten Derriaghy and Cliftonville Academy.

Johnston’s men are still firmly in the hunt and they will be putting their full focus on achieving the ultimate goal.

“We are sitting third in the league just behind second on net run-rate,” he added.

“I would have liked to have lost one less league game than we have and been in the top two.

“But we know where we need to improve in the second half of the season.

“Maybe coming in from behind in third place might suit us in the second half.

“The main goal for the season is to finish in the top two promotion places.

“We aren’t out of it yet so we will keep going and we have a T20 Trophy final to look forward to as well.”

One man that will be key if they are to achieve that is opening batsman Jay Hunter, who scored 149 against Muckamore in the league last weekend.

“Jay is in the form of his life,” said Johnston. “He got a hundred at the weekend and every time he goes out to bat he must be averaging over 50.

“He has already got over 600 runs for the season in all competitions and hopefully he can continue that form while other guys chip in, which we have been doing.

“Our top five or six have all got fifties.

“We have been lucky so far with the weather and the decks have been good so it’s helping our batsmen definitely.”

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