This week, Janeiro Tucker shocked the cricketing fraternity in Bermuda by announcing his sudden retirement. He is reported to have indicated that the state of cricket is in decline. Truth be told, he is absolutely correct.My brother Clay often speaks of today’s players lacking in passion and love for the game. While that is a broad generalisation, for the most part, he, too, is correct.While interviewing this week’s Cup Match legend, Barry DeCouto, one thing was crystal clear. He had, and has, a deep love for the game. I will insist of my son that he read this story. In fact, if you are a parent of an aspiring athlete, in any sport, I implore you to make your child read Barry’s story for it is certainly one with many significant life lessons.Finally, I will request of my St. David’s players that they read and heed his example. For I smiled in amazement how some of them went game after game last year not washing their coloured clothing. Just last night, one of my players asked me to wash his cricket clothes for him!Name: Ernest Barrymore DeCoutoDate of birth: September 13, 1951. Nationals played BAA in a big game that day. My father scored 33 not out and I was born that night.Start in cricket: I started my cricket career with Nationals in 1963. We played in the Bermuda Cricket Association league. I was only 12 years-old and kept wicket for them. Some of my team-mates included: ‘Bushes’ DeSilva, Gerald Sims, Donald Tatem and Stromboli Faries.We played on Thursdays in those days. The matches would start at 1pm and we would play open cricket.Length of cricket career: League, from 1963 to 1992. I played in Cup Match from 1978 to 1981. Although I had been Bermuda’s wicketkeeper since 1972, I had to wait until 1978 to make my debut in the classic. Randy Horton came to me and said that he wanted me to be his wicketkeeper that year.I finished my playing career at the Police Field, playing Central Counties with the Police team. I was the first person to score a thousand runs in the Central Counties. I also amassed a total of 77 dismissals in that competition.Childhood memories of the game: At age five, my father, Ernest DeCouto Sr., who was the President of Nationals, took me down to the field. Originally Nationals was located on Front Street, near to the Wheels cycle shop. When the club moved to Devonshire, it was a garden initially. It took three years to be converted from a garden to a field. As a youngster, I used to play cricket there with my bat, made of floor board, and a tennis ball. I used to also play in the yard with my father. Additionally, I played cricket at school too, at Whitney and later at Saltus.Teams for which I played: Nationals, Devonshire Rec., Police, Somerset Cup Match team, the Bermuda Wanderers, SICL Selects and the Bermuda national team.Nickname: ‘Heavy’Favourite local match in which you played: That would be the match in which I scored my first century. I was playing for Devonshire Recreation Club against Western Stars in a Central County match. I can remember a young George Amory coming in to bat with me. I told him to just stay there with me, and he did. I think he scored just one run. However, he did his job.Of course, the other memorable moment was the Cup Match win in 1979 when Somerset won the cup for the first time in some 20 years. It was amazing how the crowd reacted that day. Spectators were trying to grab my pads and gloves and take a piece of gear for a souvenir. It was survival just getting off the field.One other great memory occurred at Rangers Oval when I was presented the Man of the Match award by Sir Conrad Hunt, the great West Indies opener. The occasion was the Bermuda versus West Indies residents game. I scored 87, had two catches and a stumping.Best international feat: I played for Bermuda against Barbados at Rangers. I had six dismissals (five catches and a stumping).I also enjoyed keeping at the International Double Wicket competition that was played here. I kept for such people as Wes Hall, Michael Holding, Geoff Arnold, Lance Gibbs, Asif Iqbal and Mustaq Mohammed. I won the fielding prize in a double-wicket competition.Favourite venue: The Oval in London. Locally, it had to be Nationals. I enjoyed Nationals because the side boundaries were so big. If you scored 120, it was like having 200.Favourite international player: Allan Knott (England and Kent). I modelled my game after his.It was gratifying to have my name mentioned in the same breath as his when I had a fine game behind the stumps at Old Hill in Birmingham, and was awarded the Man of the Match award. On that occasion I had three catches and a stumping. The former England Test player, Eric Holies, presented the award and told me that this was the best keeping that he had seen on this ground since Allan Knott had played there.Number one supporter: My father.Pre-match routine: I got to the grounds early, two hours before the game started. I would do my running, my stretches and my catching. I made sure my gear was clean. During the week prior to my games, I took out my shoe laces and washed them. I washed off my pads in the tub and took three pairs of batting pants, three pairs of fielding pants and six shirts to each game. I was always prepared.As far as fitness is concerned, I ran five miles every weekday morning around six a.m. Being a keeper your legs have to be strong.Favourite dish while playing: Chicken and salad.My biggest regret in cricket: Never going to play professionally for Surrey. Pat Pocock was playing here in the Double Wicket competition and he asked me to come over and play at Surrey as their ‘keeper. Arnold Long was retiring that year. I was 21 years-old and was afraid to go at that time.Any superstitions: I used the same two pairs of socks each game. I washed them all the time and always wore them. I also used the same pair of wicketkeeping gloves for 22 years. I used to send them to Morrant Sports in England to get re-pimpled periodically. They were a wonderful pair of leather gloves that were well broken in.Funniest thing that I have seen in cricket: While playing at Rangers against Trinidad, one of their players was hit on the hand but his hand was off the bat. The entire team appealed except me. The umpire did not give the guy out and I explained to him why I did not appeal. I knew the law that your had to be touching the bat in order for you to be out. Needless to say the umpire was impressed. I kept a law book in the bathroom and nights I would read it and learn the rules of the game.Hobby: Golf.Key to my success: I had good eye-hand coordination and I kept myself fit. Also, I was blessed to play with really good players. Some of these included ‘Sad’ Brown, my skipper at the Rec., Lionel Thomas, ‘Coe’ Trott and Clarence Parfitt.I loved taking a leg side stumpings as it entails timing, vision, angles, reading the trajectory of the ball and the pace and bounce of the wicket.Advice to today’s cricketers: Be respectful of your club, your team-mates and your opposition. Also, be respectful of the game. Cricket is a gentlemen’s game. You never know who is watching you. People watch how you dress and how you act. Cricket can help you off the field as it may lead to a career just based on your personal qualities.Motto you believe in: Respect your senior players, and never, ever, ever be late.Barry shared a couple of interesting stories with me. While keeping for Mustaq Mohammed in the Double Wicket competition, Mustaq proceeded to tell Barry that when he got back to his mark and was preparing to bowl, that he would stick out his pinky to let him know that he was about to bowl the googly. “Hold on”, Barry exclaimed, “Who do you think you’re talking to? I’m a wicketkeeper not a backstop, I can read you”.Another incident took place at the Rangers Oval. Rangers accumulated 302 for one declared and Nationals set about chasing down this total. I can recall ‘Scottie’ (Rupert Scotland) telling me , “I want you to hook Lee (Raynor) and that other bye every time they bounce you. And I don’t just want you to just hit them for a six over the boundary, I want you to hit them over the club into the parking lot. You can’t be caught out in the parking lot.” Nationals proceeded to score 305 for six and won the game.Barry will go down in history as one of the very few Cup Match players to have never played on a losing team. While his Cup Match career was not long, it certainly was eventful (quality over quantity comes to mind).On a sidenote, Barry was stricken by a serious medical condition just a few years ago and was confined to a wheelchair. As I used to pass him, motoring around Hamilton in his wheelchair, I felt great compassion for his plight. A year later, he was seen walking again. That same, fierce determination that he displayed on the sports field, aided in his recovery. He later told me that he spent six hours a day, six days a week, in rehabilitation.Cup Match stats: Batting: Five innings; 42 runs; highest score 16; wicketkeeping, 10 catches, one stumping, 11 total dismissals. In four years, Barry played on two winning teams. The other two matches were drawn.