Donemana’s dynamic duo believe this is their year to bring Senior Cup ‘home' ahead of opener

Remarkably, for the perennial Cup kings it has been seven years since their last success over the full 50-over distance.

When they beat Ballyspallen in the 2017 Final, it was a record-equalling sixth successive victory as the trophy took up permanent residence in The Holm clubhouse. Dougherty though believes this will be the year the Senior Cup returns ‘home’.

“This year is our best chance since then, purely because of the strength of our team. We’re a lot stronger. Our new pro (Sri Lankan Rumesh Buddhika) is a good bat and a spin bowler and Andy (McBrine) is also available for many more matches,” says Dougherty who is relishing Saturday’s first round game against The Nedd.

The teams have already met this season in a Faughan Valley (T20) Cup game and Donemana smashed what is believed to be a men’s world record 328 for three; Dougherty hit 11 sixes and two fours in an innings of 81 from just 26 balls and shared a partnership of 145 in eight overs with Raymond Curry who finished 127 not out from 56 balls.

Dougherty cleared the boundary from the first four balls of one over but although he couldn’t complete the full set, the 21-year-old has already hit six sixes in an over — in remarkable circumstances.

“Five or six years ago, I broke my shoulder when I fell down the stairs at school,” he recalls. “That happened in the February and I needed two operations. But I played the first game of the season (for Donemana II) and hit six sixes in an over, although I didn’t even know it had happened until after the match. There were three or four wides in the over so I lost count.”

That was the start of Dougherty turning himself into an all-rounder. He had played for Ireland Under-15s and the North West youth sides as a seam bowler but following the operations he was unable to bowl for two seasons.

Curry is expecting a straightforward passage into the second round, where Donemana have exited in each of the last four 50-over competitions, but the newest member of the side, after his move from Bonds Glen, is even more confident of a winners’ medal this year than Dougherty.

“We are strong favourites and it’s just a matter of going out and doing it,” he says. “I don’t even think Brigade (their conquerors last year en route to winning the Cup) will be much of a problem.”

It was the primary reason that Curry (20) left his boyhood club.

“I have been thinking of moving for a while, and with Donemana in the Premiership and Bonds Glen now in the Championship I wanted to be playing at the highest level. They approached me a few years ago and I decided this was the year.

Curry has also got a winter contract in Australia with the Moorooduc club in Victoria, finishing his first season with 360 runs, which included three 50s.

“Barry Scott, who used to coach me at youth level, played at that club a few years ago and got me sorted. I went out last year and they have invited me back. So I’ll be flying out again in September.”

With a Senior Cup winners’ medal, he has no doubt.

Saturday's Fixtures – all 12 noon

NCU Premier League Carrickfergus v Woodvale CIYMS v Waringstown Cliftonville Academy v Muckamore Civil Service North v Lisburn Instonians v North Down

Section One Ballymena v Templepatrick Belfast v Armagh Derriaghy v Laurelvale Donaghcloney Mill v Cregagh

Gallagher Challenge Cup 1st Round Lurgan v Drumaness Superkings

Sportshub Senior Cup Ardmore v Burndennett Ballyspallen v Eglinton Bready v Bonds Glen Fox Lodge v Coleraine Killyclooney v Glendermott Newbuildings v Strabane St Johnston v Brigade The Nedd v Donemana