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The chances of Cup Match being extended to three days to prevent bore-draws from becoming the norm are slim to none, according to the presidents of the two clubs.

Richard Scott, president of Somerset, and Neil Paynter, president of St. George's said any change in format would be a consensus decision between the two clubs' management committees.

But neither man is in favour of extending the game to three days and both believe it's up to the captains and the players to bring the right tactics and the right attitude to make a result happen.

This year's Cup Match - a thoroughly entertaining game up until the final session of day two - ended in an anti-climax with St. George's blocking for a draw and Somerset throwing in the towel and accepting a stalemate with 12 overs to play.

Paynter pointedly blamed Somerset skipper Jacobi Robinson for not doing enough to win the game.

"We can't use this year's game as a measuring stick and to do so is damn unfortunate. Somerset had 12 overs to bowl and they had six wickets to get. It only takes six balls to get six men out. I thought their skipper (Jacobi Robinson) wasn't up for the challenge. He didn't put the pressure on. In my opinion he conceded. It wasn't for us to put the pressure on them, it was for them to put the pressure on us."

He said the onus was on the challengers to bring about a result within two days and adding an extra day to ensure a result was probably not going to happen.

"It's very unlikely. Since we changed the format to move it from one club to the next every year, we've had results quite a few times.

"It would be up to the two committees but as I speak now, I'm not for it, but I'm only one voice."

Scott was equally cool on the idea. He said the fans wanted a result each year and there would inevitably be some discussion of change.

But he insisted three-days of Cup Match was not necessarily the most sensible solution.

"My personal preference is that it remains a two-day event and we look at all the possibilities as far as the format goes to try and ensure we get a winner each year.

"It was a bit disappointing. As a sportsman and a spectator I was hoping it would go down to the wire but I have to trust my captain and back his decision."

Blame St. George's

"It was disappointing to see St. George's blocking. Before the game Lionel Cann had stated that they had explosive bats and having come out and said that you would think they would have tried to demonstrate that and not be so cautious in their approach.

"They said they would be playing attacking cricket but at the end of the day they had the cup and retaining it became more important than winning."

Scott said he did not subscribe to the view that the cup should go to neutral territory if there was a draw.

"My personal opinion is that the players need to be aware of the significance of winning Cup Match as opposed to drawing the game.

"I don't think we should need to incentivise it. If we've become a society that needs to be driven by some kind of incentive to win other than the fact of coming off the field a winner then that's a sorry state of affairs."

Paynter added that another major drawback to having Cup Match over three days was the logistical difficulty of organizing an extended event.

"We're very taxed for those two days. Those who have never run Cup Match are always of the opinion that it should be longer because they don't know what it takes to run a Cup Match.

"But at the end of the day Cup Match is about Emancipation Day and Somers Day and those are two days. So much emphasis is put on the game - and that's a very important part of it - but Cup Match is two days of fun and excitement. It's about people coming together as one."

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