Robin Hood and PHC Zebras could clinch places in the semi-final when two more Dudley Eve Trophy matches are held at Bernard Park on Sunday.

Hood, who play their first match in group A, could eliminate Somerset Trojans by handing them their second loss, thus clinching semi-final places for themselves and North Village.

In the 5pm match Devonshire Cougars, the holders, face a must-win match against PHC, the team they beat in last year’s final. Cougars could only manage a 1-1 draw with Boulevard Blazers in their opening group B match on Labour Day and need a win to have a good chance of reaching the last four.

PHC opened the new season with a narrow 1-0 victory over Hood, the Premier Division champions, in the Charity Cup. Now the serious competition begins as they aim to make up for last year’s defeat in the final. They also lost 1-0 to Cougars in the Friendship Trophy final, though they had a strong finish to the season, finishing second to Hood and winning the FA Cup final over North Village.

The Rams have sent out early warning that they will be competitive again this season, after thrashing Somerset Trojans in their Dudley Eve opener. That result means that Somerset will be eliminated if they lose to Hood, leaving Hood and Village to decide the group winners when they meet on September 17.

In the eight years since the competition was renamed from the Martonmere Cup in 2009-10, Dandy Town Hornets have won three finals and North Village two, in 2009 and 2010, before losing in the next two finals to Town and Somerset.