If things had turned out differently in the 1980s, Charlie Marshall would be nearing the end of his Cup Match career with Somerset and Albert Steede would probably already have scored 1,000 runs in the Classic...for St. George's.

The opposing captains in last week's 100th anniversary match actually had hopes of playing for the other team in Cup Match. In 1979 when Somerset won the cup for the first time in 20 years, Charlie Marshall captained Bermuda to their first International Youth Tournament title in Canada. It was also around the same time that he spoke of his desire to play for Somerset in Cup Match.

The only thing keeping Marshall out of the Somerset team in '79 was the strength of the team which contained several members of the Bermuda team that reached the semi-finals of the ICC Tournament that year.

There wasn't any room in the Somerset team that year for a colt and Marshall was urged to be patient and wait his turn. However he wasn't and the next year the Bailey's Bay youngster made the St. George's team. The rest, as they say, is history, as Marshall played himself into the record books by becoming the first colt to score a century in Cup Match.

"I played in several trial matches for Somerset over two years and the year I would have been picked was the year of the Youth Tournament in Canada and the captain, Randy Horton, told me to be patient for a year and go away with the youth team in '79 and since I was captain of the youth team to not lose out on the opportunity," Marshall recalled.

"I said in the newspaper that my goal was to captain Somerset one day."

Marshall supported Somerset as a teenager, influenced by his uncle, Bert Philpott (his mother's brother) who was on the club's selection committee in the 1970s.

But it was the influence of some St. George's players that eventually got Marshall to St. George's the following year.

"It was between Clevie Wade, Noel Gibbons and Arnold Manders who mentioned to me that there were three openings that year and they encouraged me to come to St. George's," explained Marshall.

"I missed two trial matches because I was still undecided, but I played in the third trial match and was selected that year. I've enjoyed the years of playing with St. George's."

Marshall made the most spectacular entry into Cup Match by a batsman, hitting Robert Hinds for a six off the last delivery of the drawn match to complete his century and write his name into the record books.

And though he hasn't scored another century in Cup Match since, Marshall did reach 84 not out in 1987 when a declaration by his captain denied him another century, though it did enable the team to win.

Marshall was trailing Steede on aggregate by 61 runs (804 to 865) going into this year's Cup Match but his 71 and 73 enabled him to reach the 900 mark before the Somerset captain who went past 900 late on the second day.

"I didn't even know I had reached 900 runs until I read it in the paper on Saturday," said Marshall, who played in his 20th Cup Match in a 22-year span last week.

Steede, who had knocks of 29 and 28, remains the third highest scorer in Cup Match history behind Wendell Smith and Lloyd James, his 922 runs coming in 26 innings since 1989 compared to 32 innings by Marshall. Steede continues to remind St. George's of what they lost.

"There's no secret that I played in a final trial for St. George's, and in my younger years I wanted to play for them," Albert Steede disclosed.

"It's just so ironic that Charlie wanted to play for Somerset and now he's captain of St. George's and at that time I wanted to play for St. George's."

What is also ironic that in the same year that Bermuda won the International Youth Tournament for the second time - this time on Bermuda soil - Steede failed to make it into his chosen Cup Match team, just like Marshall six years earlier.

"That was in 1985, the year of the youth tournament and the only reason I remember it is because I had a very successful youth tournament," said Steede, whose debut in Cup Match did not come until four years after St. George's broke his heart.

"I think I made one of the highest scores in the final trial, against some good bowlers...Adrian King, Robert Simons and Lionel Thomas. I remember that like it was yesterday.

"I was more disappointed because of the reason they gave me, that I hadn't played enough trial matches for St. George's. At that time you had to play a minimum number of matches. I didn't know that, I just thought that as a youngster if you got chosen to play in the final trial that everyone had equal opportunity to make the team."

Steede has since made St. George's pay for that decision to overlook him. It was his century in 1996 that enabled Somerset to dethrone St. George's, though the east enders regained the trophy the following year.

"It's ironic I'm very much a thorn in the St. George's side and at times Charlie has been a thorn in Somerset's side," said Steede.

"It's just good for cricket, and probably the best thing that happened. I'm very happy and satisfied to be a part of Somerset's organisation, and I guess things happen for a reason.

"It happened positively for me because if I was playing with St. George's I probably would never have had the opportunity to skipper the Cup Match team. It is customary for them to pick the captain of their league side...and I don't think I would have played for the St. George's league team.

"It was customary for both teams to do that then but Somerset made a change and here I am. It worked out quite well, definitely no regrets. They treat me quite well in Somerset, as one of their own.

"I believe in the 13 years I've played for Somerset I have never cut them short as far as effort. Hopefully that attitude is being portrayed by the youngsters coming up who have played under me the last few years."