Tempting as it may be, Mr Editor, politics takes a back seat today, except for a big shout out to the CJ and a thank you for the mention.

The dust has still to settle anyhow and it’s Cup Match, people: in my mind, there really ought not to be any doubt or dispute, division or discord over the pre-eminent place the Annual Classic holds in our national calendar.

That’s the point I want to make this week.

It is Bermuda’s premier sporting and cultural event rolled into one.

It is also quintessentially Bermudian; authentic; unique; all of those things and more. Period. Full stop. End of story.

On top of that, there must be very few places in the world that take a what amounts to a four-day holiday weekend, and not just for the purposes of taking a break from the relentless heat and humidity, although there is that welcome, sensible benefit as well.

A cricket game is the focus, but it isn’t just the reason.

The first day of the two-day holiday is Emancipation Day, the day we mark the freedom finally granted slaves by law, and the second, Somers Day, to honour the man who led the expedition that happened on our shores by accident, which led to the colonisation of Bermuda.

These are significant events in our history, inextricably intertwined and enshrined together since 1999 in the 1947 Public Holidays Act and known as “Cup Match”.

The game is one way in which emancipation finds expression.

The match itself is now well over 100 years old, having grown from its humble origins of a friendly picnic and cricket match.

It is today a keenly contested clash between the St George’s and Somerset cricket clubs, ostensibly pitting the best of the East against the best of the West. Loyalties are fierce. Families have over the years even become divided in their support.

Yet while the rivalry may be intense, it is always good-natured. Visitors to these shores, who may not even understand the game of cricket or any of its nuances, quickly grasp that. That the game is on is inescapable, even if you have come in from Mars.

A quick look around the grounds tells you all you need to know: the ribbons, the colours, the dress, the music, the horns and the smiles are all of us on display at our hospitable best. The food and the libation, of course, help to add to the Bermudian occasion; oh, and yes, Crown ‘n’ Anchor, always a crowd favourite.

You truly do have to go out of your way not to feel welcome. Conviviality abounds. This is Bermuda on display for everyone’s enjoyment.

I remember the movie The Deep, which was filmed here, now so many years ago. I recall that the script was written to include scenes from Cup Match. The producers saw the “Big Game” for what it was — Bermuda and Bermudians at play — and wanted that to be a part of their film.

It is a wonder then that more isn’t done to build on the Annual Classic for tourism purposes; it seems so obvious.

There should not need to be any applications, any last-minute scrambles to reach out and include visitors, or sorry excuses for why what should be done has not been done — and, please, let’s not wait until the eve of Cup Match to get it done. Planning should begin when the last match ends.

This is an event where visitors get to experience us at our natural best and with a game at the centre of attention that both confounds and amuses our North American friends.

But maybe it’s just me, Mr Editor. I am at heart a cricket fan whose fascination with and love for the Annual Classic dates back more than 50 years; and for those who are wondering, yes, I am strictly St George’s.

Still, it seems to me that, with all that it has to offer, Cup Match makes for a bigger and better splash than jumping off cliffs.

P.S. Have a safe and happy holiday weekend everyone — JB.