Ross Adair is out of the CIYMS team for their huge double-header this weekend, the Premier League game against North Down followed by the Irish Cup Semi-Final against Phoenix on Sunday.

Adair is on a stag weekend with his best mate — he will be best man at his wedding — on a date confirmed before the fixtures, but his club captain, Nigel Jones, is unfazed by his absence.

“No matter what team he is in, if Ross is missing it’s a blow but the good thing is as a club we haven’t even bothered talking about it,” he said.

“We’re happy enough with John Matchett and Doc (Chris Dougherty, as opening batsmen) and we have had Jack Beattie batting three for us this year so it’s just a case of moving Jack back up from No.9 and the rest of the order stays the same.

“So we feel quite settled and we will have to play the first 20 overs a bit differently from the ‘Ross show’, but let’s make it the John Matchett show or someone else.”

CIYMS are eight points behind League leaders Lisburn with just four games left, so Jones accepts that the title race is out of their hands.

“We can only control us and for Lisburn we are going to need a slip-up from them but hopefully if we keep playing good cricket it will come down to the last game (against Lisburn), but it’s North Down first and we know they’ll not roll over. They haven’t played their best cricket this season but we’re going to have to play a good game and hopefully get the win,” he said.

The ‘big one’ this weekend is the Irish Cup with the Holy Grail of a Final appearance finally in sight, but Jones is confident.

“It’s our chance to get through to a Final but we have to turn up on Sunday and if we play as good cricket as we can we’ll come out on the right side,” he added.