THERE'S good reason for the warning "never say never" - just ask Clay Smith.

Like so many before him who have uttered adamant positions only to eat their words later, the talented batsman may have to make a meal of a statement he made in 1999.

Four years ago, following his highly-publicised omission from St. George's Cup Match squad, he announced sensationally that he would not represent that club in Cup Match or the league ever again.

In some quarters it was felt he got the axe not for a lean run of form but because he left St. George's that season to join neighbours St. David's which he now captains. Selectors voted 3-2 against his inclusion in Cup Match despite him being a veteran of 11 mid-summer classics and having led the East End team to victory over Somerset in 1997 - the last St. George's skipper to do so.

"I have probably played my last Cup Match and my last league game for St. George's. I'm totally disappointed with the people," said the then 28-year-old in the heat of the moment.

Since then, it's common knowledge he has returned to St. George's Cup Match fold and now, as he considers the remainder of his career, a more mature Smith says he would like to finish his league cricket where he began - in St. George's!

Given his hopes to play for another eight years such a move may not be in the immediate future but, with St. George's Cup Match skipper Charlie Marshall declaring this year was his final appearance in the annual event, attention is already turning to Smith as a possible heir.

"In terms of my future, I can't really say right now because I am pretty happy at St. David's. I know a lot of people are keen to see my return to St. George's and take over the captaincy and try and win the cup back for St. George's. That's probably something that will happen in the future but how soon, I don't know.

"I always said when I left St. George's that I would return to finish my career in St. George's. That is my ambition," Smith told The Mid-Ocean.

How would he be received? The sometimes-controversial player is optimistic about a homecoming at Wellington Oval.

"I think fences have been mended to some degree whereby we've both gotten over the hiccups of yesterday. Whether or not my return would cause a squabble, I don't know.

"I would like to think the St. George's people would accept me back because my heart and soul are in St. George's.

"The day will come when I do return to St. George's and hopefully I will be received with open arms. I have had a few St. George's fans express an interest in me coming back next year. That's a long way off and a lot of things would have to take place between now and next year for that to come to reality.

"I am very happy with St. David's for right now and what they are doing for me and my focus is on St. David's."

What the 32-year-old is definitely not happy with, however, is the current state of Bermuda's cricket, especially when he sees other countries, with which Bermuda was once on par, advancing significantly.

"Bermuda cricket has gone backwards without a doubt but I still think we have a group of 15 to 20 very good players who, if they are committed, can achieve our goal in qualifying for the World Cup.

"If you look at the last World Cup qualifiers all the teams were beating each other. There were no really dominant teams. I don't think we're that far behind even though we've gone backwards."

Revealing his abiding dream of leading Bermuda in a World Cup , he called on fellow national players to rededicate themselves to that signal achievement.

"A lot of people look at the (Bermuda Cricket) Board but at the end of the day it's the players and their commitment and how badly they want to get to that level and are they willing to put in what it takes to qualify?"

Swallowing hard, Smith acknowledged that watching Kenya in the World Cup semifinals in South Africa this year was bitter-sweet. In 1994, Bermuda opposed the African nation in the semifinals of an ICC (International Cricket Council) qualifier. The island lost but Smith starred with a sparkling 112 - one of his best innings, he says.

"It does irk me. It goes to show how close we were to going to the next level. You just ask yourself what could we have done differently to reach that level."

His World Cup desires are, he declared, what keep him playing competitively and he will cling to those aspirations as long as he wields the willow.

"I am not one who likes to fail. That's one goal I have set for myself and for my country and I will do my best to get my country there," he vowed with determination.

While this England and Sachin Tendulkar fan yearns for international fulfilment, there is little he still seeks to accomplish locally, except regaining the Eastern Counties championship which St. David's lost to Bailey's Bay last year.

Quite satisfied with his personal performances, he cited the knock against Kenya as well as centuries versus Jamaica and the Windward Islands in 1997 among the highlights of his cricketing endeavours.

"I think I have performed admirably in my career. I have worked tremendously hard to get where I am. I have not placed as much emphasis as I should on the local scene in the last two or three years.

"I have taken a backseat and I am grooming the youngsters in St. David's and my personal career hasn't been to the forefront. At the same time I have tried to maintain a high standard for myself but most of my motivation is when I go abroad to play against bigger opposition. That's where I really try to focus because I've always had a desire to play at a higher level than I am doing in Bermuda," said the Special Education teacher at Whitney Middle School.

Perhaps, with a West Indies contingent - including world-leading batsman Brian Lara - and the Barbados national team due on these shores within the coming weeks, Smith may get an opportunity to show he can mix it with some of the best.

"I thrive off stuff like that. I always ask myself would I have been good enough if I was given the opportunity to play at that level. That's the time I challenge myself, competing against those guys.

"I am looking forward to it if given the chance to play," he said, his tone indicating how much he would relish the battle.

It's that vigour with which he plays his cricket - plus his outspokenness -that has often caused him to be labelled "arrogant" or "cocky" but he shrugs off such views.

"I am a very enthusiastic player and I play with a lot of energy. My game is based off my confidence level. Some people look at it as cockiness or arrogance but I believe in order to be good you have to be confident.

"Look at the game's top players, (Australian fast bowler) Glenn McGrath is a prime example. I play to win. Cricket is a mind game and, most of the time, the guy with the strongest mind wins. I try to play as hard as I can and as fair as I can."

Howzat?