Veteran OJ Pitcher will not feature among the St George’s line-up at Cup Match after being ruled out with a rib injury.

X-rays have revealed that Pitcher cracked ribs while fielding for St David’s during the Eastern Counties first-round encounter with Bailey’s Bay on Saturday. The incident caused almost as much fervour and consternation to St George’s supporters as the Bermuda Cricket Board decision to allow Somerset opening batter Chris Douglas to play in Cup Match after his suspension was deemed to have been fulfilled by his absence from the county game.

A string of injuries has prevented Pitcher from playing in the summer spectacle in three of the past four years with shoulder and knee problems preceding the latest setback. Now firmly into the twilight of a stellar cricket career, Pitcher may well be discovering exactly why Father Time remains undefeated.

St George’s coach Clay Smith has expressed his disappointment at not having the experience, quality and stability that Pitcher might have provided at Wellington Oval next week.

“We have one major injury issue in that OJ Pitcher is out of Cup Match,” Smith said after St George’s gritty Athene T20 Premier Division win over a blossoming Western Stars outfit on Sunday.

“That’s a huge hole for us because he’s someone who can build an innings and spend loads of time at the wicket. He’s had a century at Cup Match before and has proven himself repeatedly, so it’s obviously a great loss, but it also means that there’s an opportunity for someone else to come in and do the job.”

Bermuda captain Delray Rawlins will carry the hopes of most St George’s fans, but Smith is wary of heaping pressure on the island’s premier cricketing talent even if he admits that a starring role will undoubtedly be required.

“Delray is going to be critical in both departments,” Smith said.

“Realistically, we have to bowl Somerset out twice if we are to win the cup and posting a score is going to be important, but I want to make sure that everyone knows that the emphasis can’t just be on Delray Rawlins.

“We still have ten other players that have to do their job, because if others don’t do their jobs, what Delray does is irrelevant.

“We have to perform as a unit and as a team. That’s what we’ve been building our squad around, 11 players acting in concert, with each pulling their weight.”

A lack of trial games has been a point of concern for Smith, but three consecutive wins to commence the T20 Premier Division offers St George’s momentum, at least figuratively, with less than two weeks until the big day.

“You always want to go into a Classic like that on a winning foot,” said Smith, who would dearly love to raise the trophy as a coach after winning it as a player.

“So we have momentum, we’ve been building a nice team and anybody that comes into this team has to understand the dynamics of what we’re trying to build. I’m sure that when we pick our team next week, those are some of the things we will take into consideration.

“We want players who want to play for the club, first and foremost, and have the heart of the club at the forefront. It’s going to be an interesting week, to say the least, and it’s unfortunate that we’ve been unable to have any trials and will likely have just one, when we tried to have three this year.

“Hosting just one trial not only puts a lot of pressure on the selectors, but also the players to have to perform in just a single trial in the last week before the match. It’s a lot to expect, so it’s going to be interesting.”

The enthused and optimistic coach has also placed added emphasis on conditioning, with a fitness expert recruited in recent weeks to expand the team’s level of readiness.

“We’ve had a fitness trainer for the last month down there putting these guys through some extra fitness work, so we’re hoping that it all pays off,” Smith said.