DRAKES Premiership clubs will be firmly in the giant-killing firing line when the arrowselfdrive Sykes Cup first round is played on Sunday.

Seven of the top flight face clubs from the Jedi Sports Championship, while Skelmanthorpe and Shelley will be desperate not to come unstuck against Rastrick and Birkby Rose Hill respectively from the Cedar Court Conference (third tier).

Perhaps the most fierce rivalry will come at Hill Top, where Premiership Slaithwaite and their Australian signing Matt Bremner come up against Championship neighbours Marsden, who have recruited off-break bowler Tom Joraslafsky from Adelaide club Southern District.

Marsden, who face Clayton West in the league on Saturday, will be doubly keen to progress after suffering the first rain-out of the campaign last weekend against Linthwaite at Hemplow, but Slaithwaite – under new skipper Chris Kilner, a former Marsden player – will be hoping to make the most of home advantage and the all-round skills of Dave Berry.

Shabir Rashid led the Slaithwaite batting with 81 against Delph last Sunday, backed up with 32 apiece from Bremner and Max Berry, plus an unbeaten 42 from Adam Turner while Dave Berry – who had 67 with the bat the previous day against Broad Oak – picked up three wickets against Delph.

Championship Cawthorne will be hoping the top-flight experience of Liam Wiles will tip the balance in their favour against Scholes at Chapelgate.

Opening the Cawthorne batting will be Matt Smith, a member of Scholes’ 2009 Byrom Shield Premiership winning team, while the visitors will be hoping their attack of Jake Rodgers, Muztuza Hussain, Wiles and Chris Walmsley can stay among the wickets after skittling Meltham for just 68 last weekend.

They will have to put the shackles on Scholes’ New Zealand first-class star Joe Carter, however, who has helped his club to a 100% start.

Winner of the league batting prize in 2012, he has returned this season in magnificent form after playing for Northern Districts in the Plunket Shield last winter, and his 164 in the 28-over game at Golcar was blistering to say the least.

After ‘grinding’ to his first 50 in 41 balls, Carter hit a 28-ball hundred and faced 75 deliveries overall in an innings which included 19 fours and 11 sixes.

Fellow Bay of Plenty batsman Pete Drysdale shared a stand of 242 with Carter, hitting 73 in 61 to add to his match-winning 79 in the Heavy Woollen Cup against Spen Victoria.

Lascelles Hall will not have Michael Richardson in their line-up against top-flight Kirkburton because he’s on County duty with Durham at Lord’s.

But the Hall will have Aqeel Mukhtar looking to build on his 81 against Clayton West and Tom Walker bidding to add to his three wickets in that match against a Burton line-up including Asif Hussain, who has hit 54 and 204 not out in his two appearances so far.

There are two all-Premiership ties as Hoylandswaine host Delph and Honley visit Elland.

Sykes Cup and Paddock Shield matches are 50 overs and the new rain rule does not apply.

If games are abandoned, or they start and fewer than 10 overs are possible, they will start again on the reserve date of Sunday, May 10 (1pm).

Where 10 or more overs are completed, but the tie not finished, then the teams must return on Monday, May 4, and subsequent nights until the reach a conclusion. Play starts at 6.30pm each night or earlier by mutual consent.

Sykes Cup first round: Slaithwaite v Marsden, Golcar v Clayton West, Birkby RH v Shelley, Rastrick v Skelmanthorpe, Thurstonland v Emley, Holmfirth v Broad Oak, Hoylandswaine v Delph, Shepley v Thongsbridge, Lascelles Hall v Kirkburton, Scholes v Cawthorne, Kirkheaton v Almondbury, Denby v Moorlands, Cartworth Moor v Meltham, Elland v Honley, Almondbury Wes v Barkisland, Linthwaite v Armitage Bridge.

In the Second XI Fired Up Paddock Shield on Sunday, holders Broad Oak are at home to Elland.

Shield first round: Thongsbridge v Lascelles Hall, Denby Dale v Golcar, Moorlands v Scholes, Kirkburton v Kirkheaton, Lepton v Skelmanthorpe, Broad Oak v Elland, Meltham v Birkby RH, Clayton West V Hoylandswaine, Cawthorne v Linthwaite, Shelley v Slaithwaite, Almondbury v Hall Bower, Cumberworth Utd v Delph, Barkisland v Holmfirth, Honley v Shepley, Armitage Bridge v Almondbury Wes.