Tuff Dogs against North Village in a play-off match in the Central Counties is bound to catch the attention of cricket fans.

It is not a match that one would normally associate with the Counties but the two teams from the Evening League and Commercial League have accepted invitations to be a part of the Central Counties, which was down to just two clubs a couple of years ago.

Village came on board last season and now Tuffs Dogs have joined and will meet each other in the opening match on Saturday at Devonshire Recreation Club.

All matches will be played at Devonshire Recreation Club, with the winners on Saturday advancing to meet holders Western Stars in the next round on June 4 before Devonshire Recreation Club play the winners in the final on June 18.

“Because we’re trying to bring back the competition we’re trying to find a way to make it competitive again,” Gershon Gibbons, a representative of the Counties, said.

“Two years ago it was only Western Stars and Devonshire Rec and so we tried to figure out a way to get other teams in and try to make it competitive.”

Last year Gibbons and Dennis Williams formed a two-man committee to run the counties, which lost Police, Nationals and Young Men’s Social Club.

“Tuff Dogs expressed interest last year and we went back out to them,” Gibbons said.

“Having just Devonshire Rec playing Western Stars is not good for the counties. What we’re trying to do is to get better organisation and revamp ourselves, making sure we’re doing things right.

Tuff Dogs have former league players like Dean Minors, Daniel Morgan, Azeem Pitcher, Terrence Corday and Jermaine Warner, with team member Mike Corday promising they will be competitive.

“We have some quality cricketers with Tuff Dogs, guys who have passed their careers but are still good cricketers,” Corday said.

“We are at the stage where it is strictly for fun now, but we are still competitive.

“We’re not entering it just to enter, we have far too many competitive guys just to enter it.”

Meanwhile, two of the three First Division matches postponed on May 8 have been rescheduled for Saturday, with St George’s at home to Somerset Bridge and Somerset hosting Warwick.

The other match called off that day, Devonshire v PHC, will be played next Saturday.

In Premier Division action on Sunday, Southampton Rangers play Western Stars at Southampton Oval, Cleveland take on Bailey’s Bay at Wellington Oval and St David’s travel to Somerset Cricket Club to face Willow Cuts.

In the First Division, Flatts take on PHC at St David’s, while Somerset Bridge are at home to Devonshire Rec.