CIYMS target more silverware

CIYMS captain Nigel Jones is hoping his strengthened side can use their Premier League title-winning season of last year as a springboard to secure even more silverware in 2019.
CIYMS are presented with the Robinson Services Premier League trophy in 2018.  Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye.CIYMS are presented with the Robinson Services Premier League trophy in 2018.  Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye.
CIYMS are presented with the Robinson Services Premier League trophy in 2018. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye.

The Belmont side lost only one match on their way to topping the table by a whopping 20-point margin and will be hoping to take a positive first step in their attempt to defend that crown when they travel to Muckamore on Saturday.

Jones has managed to keep the successful squad together while adding new overseas professional Obus Pienaar, who will be well-remembered for his hard-hitting exploits during a spell at Waringstown, and all-rounder Mark Adair has joined from Holywood.

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“With Obus replacing Matt as the professional, we have went with a slightly different option,” said Jones.

“His bowling over here is certainly going to stack up and he fits in that all-rounder category.

“I know he bowls a lot back home and that has really developed. With his batting, he is going to bring some extra firepower.

“Mark is coming in as the real extra player to the squad. He has just hit 44 off 15 balls for the Knights in La Manga and got three wickets, so it shows you what he is capable of doing.

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“As long as he is fully fit and focused, there is no doubt he will have some big games for us.

“The firepower with the bat has certainly increased quite a bit and we have two guys who can bowl 10 overs, so we have plenty of options.”

While winning the Premier League title, CIYMS were knocked out in the second round of the Irish Senior Cup despite a spirited display against eventual finalists Merrion and came within one wicket of reaching the Challenge Cup final, going down to champions Waringstown.

It was a season of fine margins, but Jones says his squad now have an added focus on the shorter format alongside other competitions.

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“We haven’t prioritised the Twenty20 competition for three seasons, but that has changed,” he added.

“As soon as you have that feeling of not prioritising something, it can creep into other things so we are fully focused on trying to win as many games as we can across all competitions.

“The All-Ireland is something we would love to get our hands on, but it’s a difficult competition to win and we know we will have to be at our best game in, game out.

“If we can string four or five games together, we have probably got it so that has to be our goal.

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“A soft touch for me is the Challenge Cup. I’ve been lucky to play in a few finals and it seems to have gone well for the teams I have been in, so that’s on the radar too.”

It is set to be one of the most hotly-contested league campaigns in recent times given some of the transfer activity over the close season, and Jones feels there are many teams that can compete at the top.

“I would say looking at it that there are three or four teams that are certainly in the mix, and even looking at the other teams, there are no walkovers at all,” he said.

“You are going to have to work hard no matter who we are playing in the league. Undoubtedly there are stronger teams than others and some match-winners across the league.

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“We have to worry about ourselves and if we do that, then we will be in a strong position come trophy time. I think it is respecting who is in front of us, but they only deserve a certain amount of respect and we have to be confident and go at each game as hard as we can.”