PHC Zebras and North Village will be seeing a lot of each other over the festive period.

The rivals will face off in a Premier Division make-up match at PHC Field on Thursday (8pm) before renewing rivalries again six days later in the Friendship Trophy semi-final at Devonshire Recreation Club on December 27 (9pm).

Holders Zebras and Village were pitted together in the last four of the competition in a repeat of last season’s final during the draw held at the Clyde Best Centre of Excellence yesterday.

PHC captain Darren Usher took matters all in stride.

“The draw is no surprise, we already knew there was a possibility we would have to face them and it changes nothing,” he told The Royal Gazette.

“We want to defend our title and we now have to get through Village to get one step closer to our goal.”

Village coach Kenny Thompson is looking forward to the intriguing cup-tie featuring two of the island’s most successful clubs.

“We’re excited for the opportunity to play another semi-final against another historically big club,” he said. “This is exactly where we want to be; playing in important cup matches on a big holiday match day against a big rival.”

Zebras clinched a record thirteenth title after edging Village 1-0 in last season’s final at Somerset Cricket Club.

Village avenged that defeat courtesy of a 2-0 win over Zebras in the season-opening Charity Cup in September.

The pair were originally due to clash in the Friendship Trophy semi-final at Southampton Oval on Boxing Day. However, the tie was pushed back a few days and switched to another venue to enable them ample time to recover from their league fixture.

Hamilton Parish and Somerset Trojans will now face off in the remaining semi-final at Southampton Oval on Boxing Day instead (2.30pm).

Parish have already gotten the better of Trojans twice this season having beaten them 4-2 during the Dudley Eve Trophy group stage at Goose Gosling Field in September and 2-0 in the Premier Division at Somerset this month.

However, Parish coach Sergio Goater isn’t taking these opponents lightly and for good reason given their phenomenal cup-winning legacy.

“Somerset has a big history in cup competition and they have knocked us out of a cup semi-final before,” he said.

“We’re definitely not taking that for granted like, ‘Oh, we got the so-called weakest team out of the three.’ That’s not what I will be telling my players.

“No complacency will be setting in because we still have a game to play and we are just looking forward to playing on Boxing Day.”

Trojans coach Jensen Rogers is delighted to have reached this stage of the competition but admits his team have their work cut out for them against a Parish side firing on all cylinders.

“When you reach the semi-final, any draw is going to be a competitive match,” he said. “Now our focus must turn to preparing the players for the semi-final game versus Parish.

“Sergio is a coach I respect and rate highly; I am expecting another difficult game.”

In the First Division Shield semi-final draw, Somerset Eagles were pitted against St David's Warriors at Southampton Oval on Boxing Day (noon), while Boulevard Blazers will lock horns with unbeaten league leaders Devonshire Colts at Devonshire Recreation Club on December 27 (6.30pm).