---

Bermuda's Intercontinental Shield hopes have suffered a setback with the late withdrawal of St. David's all-rounder O.J. Pitcher.

Pitcher, who could not be reached for comment, has made himself unavailable for Bermuda's upcoming tour of South Africa and Namibia due to personal reasons.

It had been hoped his presence would have solidified Bermuda's middle order while his gentle seam might have also come in useful on tour.

Assistant Bermuda coach Andre Manders admits Pitcher's late omission has been a bitter pill to swallow.

He said: "It has definitely weakened our middle order a bit and is going to put pressure on a lot of the other batsmen. We just have to go with what we have."

As bitter as Pitcher's withdrawal may be, his absence has now left the door open for others to step into the breach.

Among those who could get the nod are Southampton Rangers middle order bat Shannon Raynor, Flatts batsman Regino Smith, Willow Cuts opening bat Ryane Shepherd or Somerset all-rounder Joshua Gilbert.

Bermuda's eventual squad of 14 to tour the African continent is to be selected after Saturday's trial match at Warren Simmons Field.

The island's senior national squad depart for South Africa March 23 where they will play two 50 over practice matches before travelling to Namibia to face their hosts in the four-day Intercontinental Shield, two 50 over and a Twenty/20 match.

Manders added: "It's a hectic tour and we only have a couple of rest days in between and that's why we are trying to get these guys in shape.

"We have been putting the squad through their paces and preparing them for game day situations and so it's now up to them."[[In-content Ad]]

---