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Belco Cup just too close to call

This weekend’s Belco Cup promises to be entertaining, particularly the semi-final between Southampton Rangers and Bailey’s Bay.

The two best teams in the competition meet in a game that would do the final justice, and to say there is a lot riding on the outcome is an understatement.

Led by two competitive captains in Janeiro Tucker and Stephen Outerbridge there has been some suggestion that the bad feeling between the two sides go beyond mere competitiveness.

So, with all that in the background and Rangers chasing their ninth win in a tournament they have dominated since it began, I asked Tucker what it would mean to beat their rivals.

“Rangers will come out on Saturday like we do for all cricket, play hard and play to win, like any other match regardless of whom the opponent might be,” Tucker said. “We are not favourites, St David’s and Bailey’s Bay have to be favourites.

“St David’s are coming off a good season last year and they are defending champions. Then you have Bailey’s Bay with their super stars they picked up this summer has to make them second favourites, but us at Rangers are just coming and playing hard cricket and looking for good results.”

Let’s face it, both Bailey’s Bay and Southampton Rangers are two fantastic teams and whoever wins this battle has a great chance of winning the title.

Something tells me though that this game will be decided by four players on each team. For Rangers that is Tucker, Dion Stovell, Alex Dore and Derek Brangman, while Bay’s key four will be Outerbridge, Rodney Trott, Tre Manders and Malachi Jones.

On paper, Bailey’s Bay appear to be the team to beat, my heart, however, goes with Rangers, as they have proven time and time again that they are the cup kings.

In the other semi-final I can’t see Willow Cuts, who have lost several key players in the off-season, defeating a full strength St David’s team.

However, Cuts have proven time and time again they can beat any team on their day, so they should not be underestimated.

There are four good teams on show this weekend and to try and pick a winner would be foolish.

Let’s hope this Belco Cup is the start of a fabulous season with loads of entertainment and quality cricket.