Clarkie Trott has made his last bid for a place in the St. George's Cup Match team.

Overlooked on Saturday night despite being the top wicket-taker in the league, Trott confirmed the next day that, at age 29, his Cup Match aspirations had died.

He felt that what happened in Somerset two years ago when his overthrow for four sealed victory for Somerset in the last over still hadn't been forgotten by some at St. George's Cricket Club.

And that, he believed, was behind the decision not to recall him to the team despite his league-leading 44 wickets.

Trott said he left that incident behind him at Somerset that night, but others apparently didn't. Two years later it was still being brought up, even by some of his Bailey's Bay team-mates.

"As far as I'm concerned they could still be holding '96 over my head,'' said Trott on the weekend. "It doesn't make a difference how much form I am in or by how many wickets I'm leading in the league, as far as I'm concerned they could still be holding a grudge.'' Trott took two wickets in the final trial, but it was Ryan Steede's four for 41 which decided the final place in the team as the selectors took only 50 minutes to choose the side.

"Ryan bowled very well and I guess the selectors thought that he was more on form than I was,'' said Trott.

"Even though I only picked up two wickets, throughout the three trial games I picked up eight wickets, so if they only looked at that last trial then what can I say.

"Everybody asked me `am I playing Cup Match this year' and I told them it's not up to me, it's up to the selectors. I thought just by the season that I did have a fair chance.

"The standard speaks for itself ... 20 wickets ahead of Gary Brangman while Herbie Bascome (16 wickets) is not even in the bowling averages.'' Trott stressed that he wasn't bitter about his omission. He thought St.

George's would still be too strong for Somerset over the two days.

"I'm not really surprised that they didn't pick me and I'm not upset,'' he said.

"I have no grudge against St. George's, that is my Cup Match team and will still be my Cup Match team. Best of luck to St. George's and to the three Bailey's Bay guys who are playing.

"I think Irving (Romaine) will do quite well but I don't think Somerset have the team to bowl St. George's out twice, or even once. They don't have the bowlers.'' Added Trott: "If Gary and Herbie go through the front line (batsmen) then that will be it.'' Rather than be dropped a third time, Trott has decided to spare himself any future heartbreak by stepping away from the Cup Match scene and concentrating on helping his Bailey's Bay team.

"I think I'll stay ahead of the game and just call it quits,'' he said. "No more disappointments.

"During trials I could be out there doing something with my time, like spending it with my family or working or going fishing, something that will take me away from the game of cricket just for that time.'' Trott said the experience of 1996 helped him mature as a player. He also said he looked at how Noel Gibbons and Arnold Manders had been treated and is aware that the axe can fall at any time. Gibbons was dropped in 1994 after 23 successive Cup Match appearances while Manders has been dropped four times.

"Whatever happened up at Somerset I left at Somerset, but it's just the people around me who keep bringing it up,'' added Trott.

"My own team-mates bring it up and now I just laugh it off. When I go down to St. George's I hear the same thing. If they say that I lost Cup Match off that one throw then they need to look at that game as a whole.

"I look at what they did to Noel, Charlie (Marshall) and Arnold (Manders) and I'm not going to give them that much time to do the same thing to me.

"I look at those guys and think `you guys must really love this game to go through that'.

"For me two is enough.'' CLARKIE TROTT -- Overlooked again by St. George's selectors