St.David?s, Western Stars and St.George?s will all put their unbeaten win streaks on the line in search of silverware as the second annual Belco Cup competition takes centre stage this weekend.

Today?s semi-final action ? a repeat of last year?s draw ? sees defending champions Southampton Rangers taking on St.David?s at Somerset Cricket Club and last year?s beaten finalists St.George?s pitted against the might of Western Stars at Lord?s.

Both matches begin at 11 a.m. and are 50-over contests with today?s victors advancing through to tomorrow?s final at Lord?s.

While St.George?s, Stars and St.David?s are currently riding high, cup holders Rangers begin the defence of their crown winless so far this season.

Rangers defeated St.David?s by five wickets in a high-scoring semi-final clash en route to an inaugural triumph last year, but as is so often the case in local sport, so much can change in a year as Southampton?s misfortunes of late can attest.

Still, Rangers skipper Janeiro Tucker is confident his team will be able to again rise to the occasion ? despite having not savoured a win this season. But if Southampton are to reap any success, much will hinge on whether or not they can field their strongest outfit for the first time during the current campaign.

?We are just hoping all of our players will be off from work this weekend,? said Tucker

?It?s not been easy . . . we have fielded a different squad in every game. It?s just been a case of chopping and changing really because some players haven?t been available.?

Veteran players Stevie Lightbourne, Gary Crofton and Keith Wainwright have been missing from the team in recent weeks, strike bowler Gary Williams is absent due to work commitments while Ricky Brangman and Kenny Phillip have since moved on.

?There?s been so many interruptions to the team that it has been difficult to get things going ? but we have trained very hard this week,? Tucker added. ?Our confidence is still high despite losing three straight matches. Everybody is still confident and those three losses don?t mean anything right now.?

Again, Tucker expects a great challenge from the Islanders.

?St.David?s are always tough,? he noted. ?We have already played them once this season and the match switched both ways . . . we were in the driver?s seat and they were in the driver?s seat. We just suffered a late mental lapse and that?s where things went wrong. But we should be OK.?

But while Rangers have yet to move out of the starting blocks, the Islanders are enjoying one of their best starts to a season in recent years and will be keen to maintain their impressive form in cup play.

St.David?s won?t need reminding of last year?s heartbreaking semi-final loss to Rangers at Somerset Cricket Club where they amassed 278 runs but still came up short in their bid to become only the second team behind St.George?s to win three consecutive titles.

Of equal interest is the other semi-final at Lord?s involving multiple cup winners St.George?s and Western Stars in a match which could also go either way.

St.George?s, now under the captaincy of Gregg Foggo and new coach George Cannonier, handed Stars a five-wicket loss in last year?s semi-final before suffering a humiliating six-wicket loss to Rangers in the final. But the East Enders? future is looking very bright with a team well blended with youth and experience ? not to mention in Cannonier one of the top coaches on the Island.

St.George?s will be gunning for their tenth appearance in the final of the early season competition

Stars, on the other hand, are also sporting a new look this season with spinner Hassan Durham now at the helm with veteran all-rounder Dennis Archer and seamer Roshan Perera coming in to fill voids left by the departures of Kevin Hurdle and Dwayne (Sluggo) Leverock.

Former skipper Albert Steede has been in devastating form of late and couldn?t have picked a better time to hit top stride with his whirlwind knock of 213 last weekend against Devonshire. He?s one player St.George?s will have to keep a very close eye on if they are advance through to what will be a second final appearance in succession.