TWO fellas were chatting in the gas station on Par La Ville Road last Friday morning and the conversation went something like this:

"You goin' to Cup Match?"

"Na."

"Why not?"

"Why would I go to a game when I already know the result?"

Of course, he was referring to the fact that these days the annual classic almost always ends in a draw.

No matter what the make-up of the teams, whether one is loaded by bowlers and the other by batsmen, whether both teams play aggressively, or whether the holders attempt to defend at all costs, the inevitable result is stalemate.

At least to many Bermudians that is how it seems, particularly those who aren't avid cricket fans but still take a great interest in Bermuda's biggest game.

Ironically, this year there could and should have been an outright win.

As late as mid afternoon on the second day, there was every possibility, even probability, of a result, and more intriguingly was the fact that it could have gone either way.

Momentum swung one way then the other. Nobody could complain this year's affair was dull.

If there is such a thing, it was, as Clay Smith called it in his column this week, "an exciting draw".

Somerset could feasibly have bowled out their rivals in the second innings to clinch a memorable win, what would have been their first in the East End for 27 years.

And holders St. George's could have thrown caution to the wind and chased the necessary target to clinch the victory which captain Lionel Cann said had always been their intention – despite the fact that as defending champions they only needed a draw to keep the trophy locked up in their clubhouse.

In typical swashbuckling style, Cann did his part, smacking his first Cup Match century and if it wasn't for Somerset's run-machine Janeiro Tucker who compensated for a first innings duck with a boundary-filled ton of his own – his third in the annual clash – the game might have been over in time to give the crown and anchor sharks a chance to relieve a few hundred more patrons of their savings.

Ultimately, though, the guy in the gas station got it right.

No winners, no losers, just another draw.

And what that has done has resurrected the old-age argument of whether two days are enough.

Shouldn't Cup Match be extended to three days, allowing the challengers to play positive cricket without having to take too many chances?

And wouldn't the holders be forced to come out of their shell and defend their title with a far more ambitious game plan?

Wouldn't that be a better contest for the thousands who flock to one end of the Island and then the other for many the only cricket game that matters.

Organisers might argue that three days are too much for such a big occasion. Never mind the players, could the party-goers last that long?

Could the carnival extend another day?

Would Police be prepared to spare so many officers for an event which always has the potential to explode (as we saw last Friday night)?

Obviously those are questions that would have to be answered.

But purely from a cricketing point of view, three days would appear to make more sense.

Cup Match is supposed to showcase the best of Bermuda's players, many of whom represent the national team.

That same team is required to play four-day games such as that which will bring Uganda to the National Sports Centre later this month.

If they can compete over four days, then three shouldn't be a problem.

Whether many of the spectators would still be standing or by that stage give a damn who won or lost – well, that's another question!

– ADRIAN ROBSON