Cup Match: St George's 'pride is at stake'

It’s 41 days and counting until Cup Match and talk in the east end is focused on only one thing: restoring pride.

The selection committee will hold its first in-house trial match tomorrow, a 65-over game at St George’s Cricket Club (10am start), with last year’s chastening 10-wicket hammering by Somerset still fresh in the memory.

Chairman of cricket Damon Walker concedes the heavy loss — Somerset’s first win in 10 years —  was a “disaster”.

But he believes a more stringent approach to selection and added competition for places will see 
roles reversed when the game gets under way on August 1.

He told the Bermuda Sun: “At this stage of the process we want to look at everyone. I am always confident in the players St George’s has to choose from. Last year, that was a disaster for us. We never really worked out why our batting line-up collapsed like that. But I’m confident this year’s players will put that right.

“We hope to get some fresh faces in the team and hopefully we can sort a lot of last year out.”

Walker says his players should be buoyed by home advantage as well as the club’s strength historically on their own strip.

Somerset have won only three times in St George’s since 1948, the last victory coming 32 years ago.

“This year’s match is very important,” he said: “Especially because of the manner in which we lost last year. For our club’s pride it’s very important we take it back this year.

“Down the club in St George’s people were talking about Cup Match all year round, all through the football season — but people are excited about what’s to come from us. Home advantage is really important. Our players should be a lot more confident playing at home.”

Walker points to a better pool of bowlers and the return of all-rounder OJ Pitcher — a ‘key ingredient’ — as reasons for optimism this time around.

He said: “This year there will be a lot more competition in terms of getting spots – players will have to earn their spots this year.

He added: “The competition should push guys to go for it.

“Last year I thought we had a really good team – I don’t have any answers as to why that happened last year.

“We were in a decent position in the game. But last year, although we took a thrashing, it actually gave Cup Match a boost — everybody’s eager to see St George’s response.”