As legendary soul singer Sam Cooke once put it - 'a change is going to come'.

And Devonshire Colts will be hoping that change comes next Monday when they take on PHC Zebras at Wellington Oval where they will attempt to put an end to a 30-year Martonmere Cup drought.

Since the competition's inception in 1972-73, Colts - the inaugural winners - have managed to reach six Martonmere Cup finals only to come out on the short end of the stick on all six occasions.

Their most recent loss in the final was a slim 1-0 defeat by Wolves during the 2000-01 competition at Somerset Cricket Club.

Monday will mark Colts' eighth appearance in the Martonmere final. Only Somerset Trojans (10) and North Village (10) have made it through to more finals.

Trojans have hoisted the trophy seven times, Village six and Dandy Town four.

So far this season Colts and Zebras haven't met in any competition but both have only lost one game and Monday's encounter has the potential for another exciting battle between two of the Island's most successful teams.

It will also be Colts' third appearance in the final in the last four seasons and captain Shannon Burgess is fully aware of his club's Martonmere Cup jinx.

"Actually for the majority of the existing players this will be their third final in the last four years and after coming up short during the last two finals it's obvious that we are looking to redeem ourselves," said Burgess yesterday.

But the skipper insisted that past performances didn't speak for present events and that on the day his team would have to do all that's required to compete against a 'very strong' PHC outfit.

He said team morale was at a high, but admitted that the recent 3-0 league loss to the Trojans had been a setback.

However, Colts came storming back two days later to defeat last year's Martonmere Cup champions Devonshire Cougars 4-1 in the semi-final to book a spot in Monday's final.

"We were riding high prior to that match and as a result maybe our feet got grounded and made us realise that on the day we have to perform," added Burgess.

"That helped us to realise that if we don't show up with our 'A' game on any given day then we can lose to anybody, and that's not to take anything from Somerset."

Burgess said that the team's objective was to stay focused on whoever they play against and not to dwell too much on past events.

He noted, however, that the team had recently suffered injuries to a few key players who had been central to their early season success.

"We did experience a few injuries and they all seem to have come at the same time," he added.

"Peter Sampson, McKonnen Hollis, Jamal Smith and Lloyd Holder all got hurt, so yes we have had quite a few injuries."

But Burgess said his team had displayed tremendous depth and so far had done a commendable job. And he didn't rule out the possibility of some of his injured team-mates making a speedy recovery in time for Monday's clash.

"Hopefully these guys that have been out injured have had sufficient time to heal and will be ready for Monday," he added.

Burgess mentioned that it was ironic his team had lost their first match of the season when he made a return to the line-up after having missed a few early games while away on business.

"Maybe it's time for them to take over," quipped the long-serving Colts stalwart.

Monday's final kicks off at 2.45 p.m. and will be preceded by the women's Konica Cup final between current holders Rude Girls and challengers Dandy Stars at 12.30 p.m.