North Village and Devonshire Cougars will battle for Martonmere Cup supremacy at the National Sports Centre tomorrow as the first trophy of the 2003/04 season goes up for grabs.

It will be the second time in three seasons these two clubs have met in the final of the 30 year-old competition and third overall.

Village handed their cross-town rivals a 1-0 loss during the 1979/80 final before Cougars made amends for that defeat in 2001/02, winning by the odd goal in a five-goal thriller at Lord?s.

Now the stage has been set for what again promises to be an all-out battle between two of the Island?s top teams.

Village, League and FA Cup champions, enter this match looking to add to their impressive trophy collection, and they certainly have the necessary firepower.

In Ralph Bean Jr, the Reds have arguably the best striker in the land. Bean put an end to a brief scoring slump in stunning fashion, helping himself to a hat-trick during Village?s 5-0 demolition of Somerset Eagles in the semi-final.

Village also possess matchwinners in the likes of Keith Jennings and veteran Dwight Warren who always seems to thrive on the big day. Speedy forward Kevin Jennings is expected to miss tomorrow?s clash through injury.

Another veteran the Reds will be banking upon to provide the goods is Kentoine Jennings who will have the added burden of wearing the label of player/coach in the absence of head coach Scott Morton.

Morton is still recovering from injuries he suffered in a road traffic accident two weeks ago.

Jennings, however, insists his temporary new role won?t weigh him down.

?It?s no added burden and I feel pretty well comfortable,? he said. ?Allan Smith (manager) has had the team a few times and basically whenever I?m on the field he takes over and we always correspond on what we think should happen.?

Jennings expects another tough battle coming up against an explosive Cougars attack.

?Actually, it?s just another game. Cougars are a good team to play against and the fans seem to like it more than our players do because we just look at as another game,? he said.

?It?s a just a game that we have to come out ready to play because we know what they are capable of. The biggest hype is that it?s up at National Stadium and it?s a final and we take that as a compliment. So now we must go out there and get the desired result against a team that can hurt you if you?re not prepared to play.?

Village will be gunning for a seventh Martonmere Cup title.

On the flip side of the coin, much of Cougars? hopes for success will again hinge on whether or not the real Heys Wolfe and last season?s MVP, Raymond Beach show up to play.

So far, Beach has carried on where he left off last season, while trusted sidekick Wolfe only recently returned to the team from injury.

Cougars produced a few periods of attractive football during last week?s 2-1 semi-final win over Boulevard and Village could find themselves in for a long afternoon should their opponents show up firing on all cylinders.

Super sub Shaki Minors has proven to be a menace whenever he leaps off the bench, while skipper Kwame Steede has been in consistent form lately.

Mark Smith, 2001/02 cup hero, meanwhile, has yet to regain match fitness following a bout with an old injury. However, cup finals have a funny way of bringing out the best in certain players.

?Everyone is fit and ready to go,? confirmed Cougars assistant coach Quilton Joell. ?We are very optimistic. And I hope we can have a very structured and composed game. We are looking to feed off some of the best fans in Bermuda and looking forward to the game.

?Basically, you have to respect everybody but you must also have the confidence within yourself to get the job done.?

Cougars are seeking a second Martonmere title and second cup triumph overall.

Tomorrow?s final will be preceded by the women?s Konica Cup final between defending champions Rude Girls and challengers PHC which gets underway at 12.30 p.m.