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No Janeiro Tucker. No Saleem Mukuddem. No Dion Stovell. And reportedly no Kwame Tucker either. Somerset coach Winston Reid has all the wrong kind of headaches in the run up to Cup Match.

And Reid, who confirmed left arm spinner Hasan Durham and pace-bowling all-rounder Jacobi Robinson as captain and vice captain Classic, admits he faces an uphill battle to bring the cup back to the West End for the first time in three years.

"One thing I can tell you is the game has to be played. No matter who we have (available) we have to play the game.

"We might not be able to find guys that are as good as those players but what will be important is to give 150 per cent. If we really commit ourselves to the game we can do well."

Reid admitted that Tucker, who holds the record for the top individual score in Cup Match after his 186 in the 2001 classic, would be greatly missed.

"I have a lot of respect for him. You don't find those players every day. You can't just walk into a clubhouse and see those players everywhere. Any team would miss a player like Tucker."

And Reid, who has 22 players in training right now and another trial game tentatively scheduled for the weekend, believes that a collective commitment rather than any mystery talent is what it will take for Somerset to go to the east end and win.

"You don't have to be the most talented player but if you give 150 per cent I can't ask for more. If you are committed to playing good cricket it is quite possible that you can do the impossible. We are going down to St George's and we are the challenger. We are probably rated as underdogs but sometimes a small axe is all it takes to chop down a big tree."

"I am the coach of Somerset and I have to be optimistic about our chances. There are only three results possible and we plan to go there play a good game of cricket and hopefully we can do a little better than St George's. Sometimes you only need 51 per cent of the game to win the match."

The bigger question right now is: Who will play for Somerset?

The bowling led by Durham, Dwayne Leverock, Robinson, Kevin Hurdle and probably Malachi Jones looks strong.

But with so many stars missing there is a gaping hole in their batting order. Stephen Outerbridge is back on the island and in the runs, as is Jekon Edness. St David's Sammy Robinson is in contention and Jermaine Warner is eligible to play.

Possibilities

Devonshire Rec's Dean Stephens is another player who is being closely looked at and youngster Jordan De Silva could get the nod, having been a reserve in the past few Cup Matches.

But Reid poured cold water on speculation that Greg Maybury, who has surprised a few teams this year, could be included insisting that at 14 he needed more time to develop.[[In-content Ad]]

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