HEXHAM and District Sunday League‘s dominant force are looking to retain their ’Quad Army‘ title in the hardest way imaginable.

While they cannot win all four Hexham trophies for the first time in three seasons after being eliminated from the Division One KO Cup by Hexham Phoenix, they are only two wins away from lifting the county’s biggest prize on offer for Sunday League teams, the prestigious Northumberland FA Sunday Cup.

On Sunday, they welcome Lemington Social to Bardon Mill Cricket Club, in a game sponsored by Centre of Britain Electrix, Haltwhistle, for a place in the county cup final.

Having been eliminated in the quarter-finals the past two seasons, both in penalty shootouts, they are hoping to build on making the semis by going all the way this season.

Haltwhistle made this stage three seasons ago but were comfortably beaten 5-2 by Burradon and New Fordley.

Yet manager Cameron Bell believes the team is in better shape to progress to the final.

He said: “We could still win the quad by winning the county cup and then the other three!

”But the way the league is going, I think we might struggle to win that again as we‘ve got so many games to play especially with the injuries we have.

“But if we get through on Sunday, hopefully it will keep our season going and make people play for their place in the final.”

He added: “I like to think we are a better team than we were three seasons ago.

”It’s probably the best chance we will have of getting to the final. I‘m not saying we are favourites on Sunday, but three years ago we were massive underdogs.

“I don’t know a lot about Lemington although I‘ve been told they’ve got a few good players.

“They’ll be in the same position and we‘re both going in blind. But we know they’ll be a good team as there’s no bad teams in the semi-finals of the county cup.“

Sunday‘s semi-final will kick off at 10.30am at Bardon Mill as Haltwhistle doesn’t have suitable changing facilites.

They have a strong squad available as they bid to become the first Hexham team to win the Sunday Cup since Hexham Ex-Service in the early 2000s, although they are not at full strength.

They are without four long-term absentees in Ryan Potts (hamstring), Dan Parker (broken ankle), Reece Thirtle (knee) and Scott Jacobsen (leg).