quality of cricket and Cup Match in Bermuda. But that does that mean they agree on who will take home the cup this week.

Colin Smith, who obtained the title of Somerset Cricket Club president four months ago, and Louis DeSilva, who was made St. George's Cricket Club president seven months ago, have much faith in their teams.

But what is also very important to them is developing more facilities and programmes for their clubs and encouraging more people to utilise them.

"Right now I would like to see the grounds and facilities improved and the entire programme of the Somerset Cricket Club improved. Hopefully from there we can make it more of a community-orientated club,'' Mr. Smith said.

He added: "Within the next few years I would like to see the club turn into a place where people of all walks of life can come and enjoy the facilities that we have.

"I don't want anyone to say that they can't partake in the festivities that we have and that includes the tourists and other Bermudians.'' On the topic of future Cup Match classics, Mr. Smith said: "I am up to the challenge of Cup Match and hopefully we can turn it into a major event. Over the past few years the two-day game has been just a cricket game but it is much more than that, there is a lot of history involved and hopefully we can organise projects to teach the history of the game to the community of Bermuda.'' In an effort to teach Bermudians about that history, Mr. Smith said the club recently had a passing the torch event where the older Cup Match players of the past were passing the torch to the younger cricket players of today.

"We hope to have an event like that for the next few years. We would like to work with ZBM and really make it work.'' Speaking optimistically about his team, Mr. Smith said: "I would like to see Somerset win this year because it would be good for the game. Draws have basically tarnished the image of the game and hopefully a win will help bolster the image and bring more crowds and make people realise what the game is all about.'' Funnily enough Mr. Smith has never played cricket, his sport of choice was always football. But he has been a member of the club for almost 25 years and a staunch Somerset team supporter all his life. "I have not missed a Cup Match game in 30 years, since I was ten,'' he said.

Asked about the changes in the atmosphere and game since he first started going Mr. Smith replied: "I have noticed a drop in the interest in the game by the spectators. The fashion has also dropped because years ago people wore all different kinds of outfits and costumes displaying their team colours, you don't really see much of that anymore.

"Hopefully we can generate more interest in people coming to the game and maybe one day we can offer a prize for the best costumes.'' Louis (Red) DeSilva said the St. George's Cricket Club aims to change the atmosphere of the club from a workman's club to a club that includes family and friends.

"We are trying to raise funds in different ways so we can upgrade the physical plant and the infrastructure and put in place facilities that will interest young women, single mothers. Maybe tennis, basketball and netball courts.

"We also want to upgrade seating and lighting so we can have night games. But all of this takes money and a lot of time and it will not be accomplished over night,'' Mr. DeSilva said.

He said right now there is no place to accommodate young men and women away from the rest of the club so they would like to see a games room built which will be alcohol free. Of this year's Cup Match game Mr. DeSilva said: "I definitely would like us to retain the trophy and play exciting cricket. If you look over the last few years we have had exciting cricket and I see no reason why that would change.

"The important thing people should remember is a champion's job is to maintain its championship, it is the challengers job to dethrown that champion so the onus is on the challenger to come after the champions. They have to make the game they are the ones to determine if the game is exciting if they are going to take chances.'' Like Mr. Smith, Mr. DeSilva's favourite game was football. "I used to play a bit of cricket but I played more soccer than cricket but I like to watch cricket more than soccer.

"I can't ever remember missing Cup Match except when my dad was ill and he was getting treatment away,'' Mr. DeSilva said.

He added: "I made a trip to see him while he was getting treatment but I remember that St. George's got a victory and Wendell Smith scored a century that is the only Cup Match I remember missing. That year I had a $250 telephone bill because I was making calls all day from where I was in he US to see how the game was going.'' Mr. DeSilva also agreed that there has been a change over the years in the amount of people who come out.

"I believe the decline in the number of spectators is due to a tendency to draw people away from the game. There used to be nothing but Cup Match but now there are advertisements encouraging people to take trips, go to the beach or go on the water.

"The numbers haven't dwindled that much but when they should have been increasing they didn't,'' Mr. DeSilva said.

He added: "We are trying to turn that around and Somerset and St. George's are working together very hard. We are trying to create the same sort of atmosphere that once made Cup Match important to the population of Bermuda.

"It was an important part of their lives so important that some people would not go to work not because they were lazy, not because they were irresponsible but because this was a day they decided they would come out and celebrate together and have good fellowship together.''