Every cricket playing father wants to have a son to follow in his footsteps.

In the 100-year history of Cup Match a number of fathers and sons have played in the event, but Herbie Bascome could one day go where no other player has gone before by having five sons playing in Cup Match...at the same time!

Bascome has already started to leave a legacy with the oldest of his five sons, 15-year-old Orond?, establishing himself as a regular in the St. George's league team this season...playing every Sunday alongside his father.

There are clear indications that Okera, nine, Onias, eight, and Osagi, five, will graduate to the St. George's senior team sometime in the next decade. And there is also every likelihood that the youngest son of Herbie and his wife Carla, 11-month-old Oyind?, will also become a cricketer thanks to the influence of his older brothers.

“I have always said I hope I live long enough to see them all grow up and I can imagine one day they will all be playing,” said mother Carla Bascome.

“I can definitely foresee it. Who would have thought that you would see Herbie and Orond? in the same team, so I think it is inevitable.”

And with two of her other nephews, three-year-olds Nzari Paynter and Keziah Foggo, also playing cricket at every chance, former St. George's captain Gregory Foggo could have seven grandchildren in Cup Match one day!

“Keziah is a left arm bowler and he bowls and bats right-handed, just like Gregg (her brother),” said Mrs. Bascome. “He's been bowling since he was walking. Neither Keziah nor Nzari chuck, they bowl.”

Her oldest three boys have been around sports for several years.

As the nephews of Andrew and David Bascome, it is understandable that they have also developed a love of football, but cricket seems to be their first love even though the younger ones also play baseball, tennis, attend karate classes and have competed in triathlons.

“They are busy, but it's good because it gives them a lot of discipline,” said their mother.

“They have a passionate love for cricket, from the time they were crawling they were into balls. With Okera and Onias, because they are a year apart they always played with each other and are ball crazy. They play in the hallway of our house and the bedroom door is the wicket.

“Then if I tell them no balls in the house they play with an imaginary ball (still going through the motions but without the ball).”

Orond?, who recently toured Canada with the Bermuda Youth team, was only eight when he visited Barbados with a Western Stars youth team that Arnold Manders took to the Caribbean.

Now, at nine and eight, his next two brothers can already tell you all the strokes, field placings... and their favourite players.

“Orond? is a good example to them and they idolise him. He's very modest,” said their mother. “Sometimes they will sit down and watch West Indies tapes. They are definitely cricket fanatics, and they are dying to go to a Test Match. Orond? has been but the others haven't.

“They know the West Indies players, the rules of the game, the positions and the shots. They look up to Orond? and their daddy. When Osagi, the fourth one came along, I wondered what he would be like but he fit right into the programme.

“They are all right-handed but he bats left-handed. What makes them even better is when they play with Orond? he doesn't ease them up. So when Okera and Onias play with Osagi they don't ease him up.

“They won't give him a break because he is younger, they still bowl hard to him. Sometimes I go into the yard and they have all their cricket gear out, pads and everything.”

She added: “At the nursery, Angie Minors banned the cricket bats from her house because they would play in her hallway. At one point it was Keziah, Nzari and Osagi together and they used to have some serious games going on.

Onias is a batsman, Okera's into bowling and Osagi thinks he's a wicketkeeper and right now they are teaching the baby how to throw.

“Nights when I put them in their beds and turn the TV off and the house is quiet, I can hear their in there playing with a ball. They get in a lot of trouble over balls, but I try not to use sports as punishment.”

Because of the Bascome boys, their Top Square neighbourhood is constantly busy with cricket activity.

“If you come down to Garrison Field on a Friday all of them are training in their whites and there must be about 30 boys,” said Mrs. Bascome who doesn't regret not having a daughter.

“St. George's have so much up and coming talent it's unbelievable.”

As a school teacher, Mrs. Bascome also stresses the importance of academics and is proud to say all the boys get good grades. Orond? is a top student at Saltus where another cricketer, Somerset Cup Match captain Albert Steede, is one of his teachers.

“Academics is first and foremost,” she said. “All of them do good in school. When they come home from school they know they have to do their homework and then they can go outside and play. I'm trying to raise them to be independent.”

Herbie, who coaches the St. George's junior team, wants his sons to be competitive but not have to compete against each other for places in the team. For that reason each of them do something different.

“Okera is more a spin bowler, Onias a seam bowler and batsman,” he explained.

“Osagi, the left-hander, has always liked gloves so I'll see if I can get him to be the wicketkeeper. I try to encourage them to express themselves when they play together, if not they are going to play in somebody else's yard.

“I foresee some type of future for them, not only in cricket but football. When I look at my sons, Andrew, David and I came up pretty much the same way. They like to do the same things, they will come around and listen to people talk and are always in the changing room listening to team talks.”

For the last couple of years Okera and Onias have been water boys in Cup Match and will do it again this year while Orond? has been named as a reserve.

“They like to assist in that area and that's where it starts,” said their father.

“I tell them all the time not to be afraid to fail. You can't reach success if you are afraid to fail. Orond? is coming along, he's mature, but because he loves it so much he takes it to heart.

“You'd think a 15-year-old would be running around the town of St. George's but he's home wicketkeeping or batting for his brothers. And they don't ease one another up.

“They love their brother and look to follow in his footsteps. They always want to go in his room and sit off with him...just be around him. He takes a lot of time out for them.”