There will be a new name on the National cup this year after Abrakebabra Tigers knocked the reigning cup champions UCC Mardyke Demons in the semi-final at the ESB Arena yesterday.

IF SuperLeague form was the guide, then Abrakebabra Tigers would be certainties to take the National Cup back to Tralee tomorrow night.

Mardyke UCC Demons 93 UCD 81

MARDYKE UCC Demons recorded a very significant victory over Roma St Vincent’s in the NIVEA for Men SuperLeague at Glasnevin yesterday and learnt almost immediately that they will be at home to UCD when they defend their National Cup title.

FANS may be expecting a mouth watering all Cork final to the ESB Men's National Cup on Sunday but, with the Liam McHale driven Team Merry Monk from Ballina, all out to spoil the party and BurgerKing Limerick with little or nothing to lose, Neptune's Gordon Fitzgerald warned of the danger of a "no Cork" final.

The wait is almost over for the 14 teams who will compete in the National Cup finals this weekend.

DEFENDING champions, Mardyke UCC Demons, have drawn giant killers Team Merry Monk Ballina in the first of the ESB National Cup semi-finals and yesterday Ballina secretary Eamonn Kennedy warned their performance against Dart Killester at the weekend was no flash in the pan.

MARDYKE UCC Demons salvaged some southern Superleague pride with a 22-point blitz of Hibernian UCD Marian (97-75), on a weekend when cross-conferences bragging rights went north.

TRALEE Tigers and Neptune insist they won’t be holding back tomorrow night in a dress rehearsal for their ESB Cup clash at the weekend.

DEFENDING champions Neptune and the reigning Cup champions, Mardyke UCC Demons, got their respective ESB Men’s SuperLeague campaigns off to the perfect start yesterday when Basketball Ireland introduced the new conference format under which this season’s competition will be decided.

Sx3 Star's Gareth Maguire and Adrian Fulton, along with Mardyke UCC Demon's Brian Clernon, have been short-listed to receive the Irish Basketball Player of the Year award 2003.

THE top basketball players in Ireland will be in action at the UL Arena over the weekend and BurgerKing Limerick intend to finish off the season in style by lifting the National Championship for the very first time and giving the fans the perfect result.

The top eight teams from the men’s Superleague and the top four from the women’s are destined for the University of Limerick this weekend to participate in the National Championships, the grand finale of the basketball calendar.

ST VINCENT’S are in the position of deciding the league title on Sunday, when they take on Neptune in the last Superleague game of the season.

Sx3 STAR reinforced their ESBSuperLeague aspirations with their 96-106 victory over Notre Dame on Wednesday night with just three games remaining in the competition, but coach Danny Fulton insisted yesterday that the business was not finished.

Notre Dame's 96-106 defeat to Star of the Sea on Wednesday night rules them out of the title chase, with only two teams now vying for the Superleague trophy.

THE battle for the ESB SuperLeague title developed into a three way contest over the weekend when Neptune, Sx3 Star and Notre Dame consolidated their positions at the top of the table as St. Vincent’s drifted further away on the wrong end of 92-92 scoreline against Hibernian UCD Marian at Glasnevin.

IRISH Travel Partner Saints, with two great wins at the weekend, are back in contention for the ESB Men’s SuperLeague title.

DEMONS coach Pat Price is confident he’ll have a replacement for James Singleton by today’s deadline ahead of tomorrow night’s ESB Superleague clash with Frosties Tigers in Tralee.

There has been somewhat of an exodus of professional players from the men's superleague this week, with Notre Dame, UCC Demons and Tralee Tigers forced to deal with the departure of their top players.

THE spotlight will be on the SuperLeague table toppers Notre Dame and Sx3 Star when the semi-finals of the ESB National Cup get under way at the ESB Arena this afternoon.

DART Killester have lodged a protest over the refereeing of last weekend’s tie against Star of the Sea, but coach Mark Ingle said yesterday there was no question of seeking a replay or anything like that.

ESB Superleague action resumes this weekend following a brief hiatus which saw Notre Dame pick up the only league points of the last week.

WITH the cup quarter-final commitments out of the way, Sx3 Star turn to the ESB SuperLeague this weekend when they face an interesting visit to Munster for back-to-back games against Burger King tomorrow night and a rejuvenated Gleneagle Lakers on Sunday afternoon.

The ESB Superleague returns this weekend, following the elation of Cup success for four men's teams and the sheer disappointment for four others.

WHENEVER Neptune and Demons meet in a Cork derby fireworks are assured and tonight will be no exception when they clash at Neptune Stadium (8 p.m.).

Demons were unable to close up the men’s Superleague when they suffered a home defeat to table-toppers Waterford Crystal today.