Southampton Rangers player/coach Janeiro Tucker has urged his team to use their Belco Cup title defence as a springboard for an assault on the 50-over Premier Division championship.

Six-time winners Rangers start their title defence against Bailey's Bay at Lords while league champions St. David's face debutants PHC in the other semi-final at Somerset Cricket Club on Saturday. The final will be staged on Sunday at Lords.

Rangers beat Bay in both encounters last season with Tucker plundering scores of 67 and 133 in those victories.

"We're preparing pretty good," said Tucker. "We've been training hard and we've covered all the bases to move forward on the weekend.

"It's not the major thing to us, we're obviously looking forward to the competition being the defending champions.

"Our goal is to defend it and we would like to bring it back home with us again.

"This will be the springboard to the league for us.

"There isn't any two-day cricket (this season), so it will be a jump right into the league for all the teams. For us it will be good to get a match or two under our belts.

"It will let us know exactly where we are and where we need to be."

Back in 2008, Rangers squeaked past five-time winners St. George's by two runs in a nailbiter at Lords, with sponsors Belco commemorating that achievement by awarding the cup to Rangers for keeps, after the club had lifted the Ctrophy four years running.

Last year Rangers won the competition for the sixth time, more than any other club, and fifth in succession with their 10-wicket drubbing of Young Men's Social Club being the widest margin of victory in a final.

They then took St. David's to the last day of the 50-over competition, with both clubs winning thus handing St. David's the title.

While Rangers will be gunning for more history as they aim to win six in a row, they will have to do it without the services of long serving all-rounder Malachi Jones.

Yet, Tucker believes that with Traddie Simpson's return as well as Jason Simons and Don Vickers coming back into fold, Rangers have plenty of players who can fill Jones' void.

'We aren't trying to make up the loss of Malachi," Tucker said.

"We have picked up some talented players that can fill the gap left by his departure, so we will be ok in that area.

"We just need to focus on our individual roles, and that's that."

All matches this weekend start at 11 a.m.