OJ Pitcher has been ruled out of Cup Match for St George’s after collapsing during the Eastern Counties first-round match at Lord’s last weekend.

St George’s were hoping for good news on Pitcher’s availability before selecting the teams on Wednesday for the final trial match at Wellington Oval on Saturday.

The St David’s and Bermuda captain collapsed on the field against Bailey’s Bay with chest pains during the last over before lunch and was subsequently taken to hospital.

“We wanted to hear from OJ before we finalised the teams,” Ryan Steede, the St George’s coach, said.

“He has a lot to offer and we want to give him every opportunity. OJ’s very valuable, he’s got over 500 runs in Cup Match so he’s not somebody you can toss to the side and say, ‘Lets move on’.”

Pitcher is the second highest aggregate scorer among the present St George’s batsmen, with 560 runs in 19 innings since making his debut in 1999.

“The last time I spoke to him he was still waiting for some test results, so everything was still up in the air,” Steede said.

“I just hope for a speedy recovery, not just for the sake of our team but more so for his personal health. OJ and I have been good friends for many, many years now. “His health is more important than anything.”

Steede is encouraged by the emergence of a couple of talented left-arm seam bowlers, Cejay Outerbridge and Charles Trott, who will play in the President’s team tomorrow.

“They’re two up and coming players, Cejay is known for taking wickets, he got four wickets in the Turkey Barnes Trophy [trial game] and then got four more the following day,” said Steede, a St George’s selector.

“I’ve kept a close eye on Cejay the last two years and a left-armer is always nice to have in your team as it’s variety in your attack. He’s somebody we’ll be looking at closely, then we’ve also got Charles Trott. Not too many people know about young Charles but he’s got the perfect attitude and is definitely someone for the future, someone to keep your eye on. He’s a player with PHC and is an unknown. He’s going to be a good all-rounder and just needs time to grow. Clubs like PHC and Warwick have produced good cricketers over the years.”

Steede acknowledges that Somerset have a more settled team, but admits the East Enders have to nurture their young players properly.

“I don’t want to manage these players incorrectly and in another ten years we are struggling to figure out what we’re going to do,” he said. “What we do now is going to have a reflection on our future. Somerset are going to be a tough team to beat, but at the same time we have bowlers who are very capable. We know what we have to do — bowl them out twice.”