Chris Dougherty has never been one for the limelight, but this weekend the CI stalwart stands on the brink of a landmark that says everything about his trademarks of quality, consistency and longevity.

The former Ireland international needs just 56 runs to complete 10,000 for the Belmont club — a remarkable achievement in any era, never mind across 15 seasons of Premier League cricket.

For Dougherty, it has all happened quicker than he ever imagined after moving from Brigade in 2012.

“It’s flown by, to be honest,” he said. “CI treated me really well from day one. The people there are fantastic and the Premier League in Belfast is obviously a good standard as well.”

When Dougherty first arrived at CI, few could have predicted quite the scale of what was to follow with the left-hander, related to two of the North-West’s most iconic cricketers – Ivor Dougherty and Decker Curry – underpinning the most successful spell in the club’s history.

The stats – 13 centuries and 60 fifties among the 9954 runs tell one part of the story. The trophies tell another.

“We’ve had a great 15 years collecting 18 trophies,” he said. “We’ve collected five Challenge Cups, three Premierships, nine T20 cups across all competitions, and the Irish Senior Cup.

“It’s been really enjoyable and I’ve been lucky to play in some really good teams over the years. I do classify myself as being fortunate to be involved in those sides and to play with some top-quality players.”

Dougherty’s bond with CI has gone far beyond cricket. What began as a move to play has become a life built in Belfast.

“My wife Shandon and I work and live in Belfast now, so the longer you’re here, the harder it is to go back home again,” he said. “We actually met at the first cricket match she attended, at Glendermott, and we also now have seven-year-old Lewis who is at school up here.

“I would love to go back and play in the North West at some stage, but for the foreseeable future I’m happy here.”

It hasn’t all been sweet though as in his first campaign the runs weren’t flowing before he hit a purple patch as the first title was secured.

“In my first year at CI, I scored three hundreds in a row,” he recalled. “Before that I didn't think I had scored a run, so I think it was more relief than anything else. It got the stats up a wee bit and got the average up.”

The landmark approaching this weekend is the reward for 15 years of discipline, appetite and adaptability.  Dougherty has stayed relevant because he has kept scoring, often the glue that holds CI together.

“Form is a funny thing,” he said. “If you could bottle it up and put it away, it would be an easy game, but it doesn’t work like that. Sometimes you just have to go with the flow and, when you’re getting the runs, try to keep it going.”

That calmness has long been one of his strengths. Even in difficult spells, CI has remained a place where he has felt backed rather than burdened.

“The people around the club are so welcoming,” he said. “They’re never on your back if you’re not doing well; they just leave you to your own devices. It’s a good environment.”

For all his club achievements, Dougherty’s career also contains the bittersweet pride of international recognition. He won one Ireland cap, something he values deeply, although he admits there is a part of him that wonders what might have been.

“I’m happy that I got one Ireland cap (against Sri Lanka A in 2014), but at the same time it would have been nice to get a few more,” he said. “The likes of Stirling and Porterfield were there at that time and, if there had been Test cricket, maybe that would have been a better opening for me.

“The Intercontinental Cup sort of ended when I was in the mix as well, so it was all white-ball cricket and they probably saw me more as a multi-day player. Maybe I was a bit unlucky that way.”

Now, with 10,000 CI runs within touching distance, the personal milestone arrives amid a crucial weekend for the team.

“We’re sitting in that bottom four at the moment and these are the last two games before the split, so we need to get two wins to guarantee ourselves a place in the top six,” he said. “We might need a couple of results to go our way as well, so it’s a big weekend for us.”

There is also cup business to consider, and Dougherty believes CI have every reason to be confident ahead of next weekend’s clash with Instonians.

“They’re definitely beatable,” he said. “We lost by 10 runs against them a few weeks ago and I don’t think they’re as consistent as they have been over the last couple of years, but they’re still a really dangerous side.

“We’re young and maybe a bit inexperienced, but we’ll give it a go and hopefully we can get into the final.”

Fifty-six more runs will take him to 10,000 for CI, but you get the feeling the 38-year-old has his eyes set on many more in the years to come.