Southampton Rangers are, according to Cleveland coach Clay Smith’s prediction, the team to beat this season but Ricky Brangman doesn’t want to entertain such talk.

Rangers have already won two trophies — the 2014 T20 title and the Belco Cup for a ninth time — and are favourites to get past Flatts today at Lord’s and reach the 2015 T20 final. Tomorrow they open their Logic 50-over campaign with another clash against promoted Flatts, a side Smith tipped for relegation in his weekly column yesterday.

“We’re just geared up to play right now, we’ve been training hard in preseason and taking one game at a one,” the Rangers coach said. “We’ve got a good bunch of guys and it’s getting harder every week to pick a team.”

Rangers, who picked up some players in the transfer market, have a strong bowling attack, particularly in the spin department where they have left-armers Derrick Brangman, Vernon Eve and Hasan Durham to go with the off breaks of Dion Stovell. Eve will be looking for a good performance this weekend when he plays against his former team.

Four T20 matches will be played in the East End today, with St David’s taking on Eastern Counties rivals Bailey’s Bay in the second Premier Division semi-final at Lord’s, with the home team hoping to have captain OJ Pitcher back from a calf injury.

Bay squeezed into the semi-finals from group B after a three-way tie with Rangers and Somerset. Bay beat Somerset in a close encounter last weekend at Sea Breeze Oval with Irving Romaine, the Bay coach, playing a significant role with the bat and ball, scoring 43 not out and then taking two for 14 in the absence of Stephen Outerbridge and Malachi Jones.

On paper, Bay look to be strong contenders for the league along with defending champions St David’s and Rangers, with Jones, from Willow Cuts, and Zeko Burgess, from St George’s, proving to be good signings.

In today’s two First Division T20 semi-finals at Wellington Oval, Western Stars play Somerset Bridge in the first match at 11am before St George’s take on Devonshire Rec at 3pm.

St David’s have a bye in the first round of Logic league matches tomorrow, while Cleveland meet Somerset at Wellington Oval, and Willow Cuts entertain Bailey’s Bay at Somerset. In fact, St David’s won’t open the defence of their title until Saturday, June 20 when they play Cleveland at home.

In the First Division tomorrow, Western Stars meet Warwick at St John’s Field while PHC face St George’s at Lord’s and Devonshire Rec take on Somerset Bridge at home. Mishael Paynter is the new St George’s captain following the departure of Oronde Bascome to Southampton Rangers.