Parkhill expects a close T20 final at Middle Road

Carrick, who defeated Lurgan, Holywood and Downpatrick to reach the showpiece, have home advantage with Middle Road selected as the venue before the last two teams were known.

The players go into the match with the weight of history on their shoulders because the last and only time Carrick’s 1st XI have played in an Northern Cricket Union Cup final was in 1967, when they lost in the Intermediate Cup to Ards. That side contained Wallace Luney and Jim McIlroy, as well as the late Robin Beggs, and well-known former umpire, Paddy O’Hara.

“All the boys are looking forward to it,” Parkhill told the Times. “It’s the first final the club has reached in many a year and we’ve got a big night planned.

“Most of the lads are keen on the Twenty20 format. It’s a bit more of a carnival cricket feel. There’s a bit more fun attached to it than the longer format of the game. We’ve had a tough route to the final and we have done it the hard way.”

Parkhill has skippered Carrick to their current joint-top position in Ulster Bank League Section 1, but he knows there’s no room for complacency against stablemates Derriaghy.

“They are a good side,” he admitted. “They have two or three players who can take the game away from you by themselves, basically. They have an excellent overseas player in Kaushik Aphale and one or two others who we need to keep an eye on. If we keep them quiet we are in with a shout.

“It’s good that we have got home advantage. The final has been staged at Carrick for a few years now and it’s good that we’ve made it to the showpiece match while it’s still at our place.”

He added: “We are going into the game confident. If we play to our potential we are a hard side to beat, especially at Middle Road.

“We played Derriaghy in the league at home and it was a very close game. Most of the matches against them are close. The chances are that it will be a tight final and the big players who perform on the night will win it.”

n Meanwhile, Ulster Bank League Section 3 pace-setters Larne return to action on Saturday with a trip to Dunmurry where the Sandy Bay side will be aiming to keep the momentum going at the top of the table.

Last time out Larne boosted their promotion hopes making it six wins in a row with victory over Donaghadee.