As a young boy living and growing up on the boundary of St George’s Cricket Club nothing meant more to me then the annual Cup Match Classic. To have an older brother who was already a Cup Match star, I idolised everything that he did to prepare for the big event. Wendell would always tell me that scoring runs was always important, but if there was ever a day you wanted to score BIG runs it was during Cup Match because the whole of Bermuda was watching. I took those talks with him to heart and I have many memorable moments from my 20 years of playing in the annual event that I could share, but would like to reflect on my top three favourite moments.As stated above, as a young cricketer I idolised my brother Wendell, he was a perfectionist. He worked extremely hard at his game and I learned good training habits from him. He instilled the belief that I could do anything that he did and that included playing Cup Match at the tender age of 16. I can recall sitting in anticipation during the team selection meeting wanting to hear my name be called and upon hearing it, words cannot describe the elation and pride. Although it was a dream of mine and I worked hard to prove that I was worthy, I still couldn’t believe that at 16 I was a participant of Bermuda’s most prestigious sporting event. My dream had been realised but I still had one more thing to do and that was to perform and score runs on the big stage as Wendell’s words came flooding back to me.Playing in my first Cup Match comes in at Number 3.The atmosphere was electrifying, the stands were full and the fans made so much noise that I couldn’t hear myself think. I was shell-shocked and nervousness hit me like never before. As the team jogged around the field I was overwhelmed, but I kept telling myself, ‘Clay this is what you have dreamed of your whole life, now is the time to show Bermuda what you are really about’. I remember walking to the wicket and now the noise from the crowd was nonexistent. I was so nervous that I didn’t hear the noise I felt as though I was walking out there all alone wondering what I was going to do.So much was going through my mind tennis ball sessions, extra practicing, what was I going to do when I faced that first ball.I convinced myself that I just wanted to get one run and I would be happy. Terry Burgess was bowling at me first and as he ran in I could feel my heart beating, my forehead was dripping with sweat and I hadn’t even faced a ball yet. Before I knew it Terry had bowled me one of the most ferocious bouncers I had ever faced and he walked down the wicket and said, ‘Welcome to Cup Match youngster’.Nerves definitely overtook me then. I was shaking and I was scared and had to walk away from the wicket and gather myself. Not before long I was off the mark with a single and it felt like the whole world had been lifted off of my shoulders. Although I didn’t go on to score many runs in my first Cup Match it still sticks out as one of my most memorable as that was one feeling I could never forget and it was truly a dream come true.In at Number 2 was the day I scored my first Cup Match century in my backyard Wellington Oval in 1992.To become one of the few players to score a Cup Match hundred was an accomplishment that could never be taken away from me. It was a goal that I had my eyes on as a child and had I not achieved it, I know I would have felt as if something was missing in my cricketing career. I worked tirelessly to get myself ready season in and season out to realise that goal. The icing on the cake in what made this century or occasion that much sweeter was that on the same day I scored my first Cup Match century my brother Wendell scored his first Cup Match hundred as well. That day my brother Wendell and I put on a second wicket record-breaking partnership of 200 runs. This moment was extremely special because just weeks before our grandfather who was a cricket lover and supported all that we did, passed away. We both dedicated our hundreds to him and felt in our hearts that he would have been proud of us.On top of my list at Number 1 for my most memorable Cup Match moments is clearly, without a doubt, scoring my third century in Cup Match and becoming the first batsman in Cup Match history to score three centuries.I can remember being on 99 and needing just one more run to become the first to achieve such a feat. Jacobi Robinson was bowling to me. In my head I was lecturing myself ‘Clay do not try and hook him, just keep it simple’.As Jacobi ran in I could see the look in his eyes and his body language that he was going to bounce me. ‘Don’t hook, don’t hook’, that voice in my head was shouting. As I had predicted he did bounce me and my eyes lit up and instinctively I played the hook shot. The shot barely cleared the “infielder” and my thought was ‘Oh What Have I Done!’I was able to scamper down the wicket and get the one run I needed for my hundred. To make this moment even more special as I sprinted down the wicket to get my single the crowd dashed onto the field, but among the hundreds of people to run onto the field my little daughter Hailey was the first to reach me. As I dropped the bat in excitement Hailey leapt up into my arms and I cried tears of joy. This was the hundred that separated me from the rest of the great cricketers before me. To be the first to accomplish this made me remember my brother Wendell’s words of the importance of scoring runs in this Classic.My Cup Match career had many memorable moments. I will miss the battles with Dwayne “Sluggo” Leverock and the Somerset players. However, when I sit and reflect on my many moments I have to give personal thanks to my brother Wendell for the numerous hours that he put in with me as a youngster ensuring I learned and was proficient in all the cricket strokes in the book. Also, I would like to give special thanks to my best friend Dean. He lived the dream with me, as he had to hear about my aspirations during the numerous hours of playing cricket in the yard everyday as a youngster. Together the two of you helped to lay my foundation as a cricketer and I will be forever grateful.In closing, my Cup Match career was based on hard work and dedication and I hope that I have left a legacy for other young players to emulate. Somerset, a big thank you to you and your fans as you have helped to bring the best out of me. Most of all to St.George’s Cricket Club and all our loyal fans, thank-you for supporting me over the years. My Cup Match career was all that I believed it could be, and to those that have dreams, don’t give up on them. Work hard to make what is invisible to everyone else in your present visible to everyone in your future.