Oronde named Cup Match captain

If you cut Oronde Bacome open, he would probably bleed blue and blue.

The tradition of Cup Match flows through the veins of the 22-year-old cricketer fulfilled a lifelong dream yesterday by being appointed as the new skipper of St George’s.

The talented batsman follows in the footsteps of his father Herbie and his grandfather Gregory ‘Brutus’ Foggo, to lead the club.

Since he was old enough to walk Oronde has been schooled in Cup Match tradition.

Speaking exclusively to the Bermuda Sun yesterday, he said it meant everything to him to be entrusted with the captaincy of the club he loves.

“I remember the feeling I got when my dad was captain. I was so excited and so proud. It’s the same feeling I have now for myself.

“I have been going to this game since I was a toddler.

“I used to run on the pitch to celebrate. Even now if I wasn’t playing I would be running on the wicket for every half-century, every hundred, every victory.

“My family loves cricket and Cup Match is the Mecca of cricket. There is nothing bigger for my family or for the people of St. George’s, who I regard as my family.”

Bascome knows the role carries with it a big responsibility. St. George’s has held the Cup since 2005, when his father led then to a famous victory at Wellington Oval.

“Even as I walk through the streets of St George’s people remind me this is a big thing for them. When it comes down to it, I’m responsible for the cup.” Lewis Foggo, chairman of selectors, said Oronde’s natural

talent and his passion for St. George’s had made him the obvious choice to take over the reins from Lionel Cann, who stepped down as captain last year but will continue as a player.

“Oronde has been around this club since he was a little boy. We know where his heart is. His talent is second to none and we believe now is the time to unleash that talent.”

Bascome, vice-captain last year, will have wise heads around him as he plots St. George’s Cup Match campaign.

Head coach Clay Smith and his assistants Clevie Wade and Herbie Bascome are all former Cup Match captains.

“Personally I’m looking to pick a lot of ex-captains brains. I’ve got Clay as the coach, the previous captain Lionel Cann. I’m going out looking for as much advice as I can get.

“My dad is giving me advice too. I’ve been listening to him my whole life. I can’t change that now.”

Smith said the young protégé would have plenty of support.

“My job as coach is to sit down with him and come up with a game plan that he feels comfortable executing.

“We will walk through all the different situations so he is mentally prepared to handle anything that comes his way.”

Smith said Cup Match — the pressure, the expectation and the strategy — was a whole different ball game from skippering at club level.

But he backed Bascome to step up and insisted the real pressure was on Somerset skipper Jacobi Robinson.

“It is up to Somerset to bring the game to us. In the past they have had a tendency to look for us to give them help with declarations or whatever.

“They are the ones that have to make those bold decisions instead of looking to us for help.”

Smith, who retired in 2008, is part of the old guard of St George’s heroes that helped them maintain five years of dominance in the classic.

With the retirement of Charlie Marshall, the all-time leading run getter in Cup Match,  St. George’s is looking to a younger generation to shine.

OJ Pitcher, a former MVP in Cup Match, is likely to return to the line-up. And Bascome believes this could be the year the younger players step up to the plate.

“I believe we can bring forth the youth within Cup Match and start a new era. I think young players on both sides have the talent to do well.

“I have talked to a lot of young players through the season and they really want to perform in this Cup Match. They believe it is their time. I believe the same thing. The young players will step up and start a new era.”

Foggo believes Bascome could be the man to lead the side for years to come. He said the selectors had picked a young captain because they believed in his talent and backed him to be the future of St George’s Cricket Club.

St George’s Club president Neil Paynter backed the decision of the selectors, adding: “On behalf of the club I wish him all the best.”