A star-studded cricket select team comprised of some of the finest cricketers ever to grace Bermuda?s shores has been chosen to represent the Island at next month?s second annual Antigua and Barbuda Independence Cricket Festival in Antigua.

A total of 22 cricketers ? all over the age of 45 and among them the likes of Lionel Thomas, Noel Gibbons, Allan Douglas, Braxton Stowe, Ken Pitcher, Ricky Hill and Clevie Wade ? will take on teams from England, Dubai, USA, Canada, Nevis, St.Croix and Antigua in the Caribbean from October 21 to 28.

Each team will play three round robin matches with the top four advancing to the semi-finals.

Bermuda?s full team is: Allen Richardson, Ricky Hill, Andre Manders, Clevie Wade, Ricky Brangman, James Swan, George Jackson, Hoyt Zuill, Allan Douglas (wicketkeeper), Leroy Wilson, Lionel Thomas, Lloyd Morrison, Ken Pitcher, David DeSilva, Vivian Simons, Braxton Stowe, George Cannonier, Jeff Richardson, Randall Woolridge, Noel Gibbons and Treadwell Gibbons sr (wicketkeeper).

Bermuda will be managed by former Southampton Rangers and Somerset Cup Match pacer Randy Raynor.

?From some of the names that have been chosen it sounds as though Bermuda are going to have one of the best teams in the tournament,? commented former West Indies skipper and event organiser Richie Richardson yesterday.

Along with Sir Viv Richards and Andy Roberts, Richardson toured Bermuda in late September, 1984, with Antigua who won all three 50-over contests against local opposition, but were held to a tame draw against Bermuda?s national team in a two-day affair played at Somerset Cricket Club.

Several of those chosen to represent Bermuda next month were members of the national team that competed against Antigua in 1984, among them Wade who scored a memorable century (127) in the West End and Noel Gibbons who was bowled in each innings cheaply by the legendary Viv Richards.

Richards and Richardson are ineligible to play in next month?s spectacle as tournament rules prohibit former Test players from participating.

?At the end of the day the tournament is about fun and stuff like that, and we want it to be as much fun as possible,? added Richardson, who scored a total of 319 runs at an average of 63.80 and a high score of 129 during Antigua?s 1984 tour of the Island.

?This tournament will be based upon guys having a good time. But maybe next year we can try and make the tournament more competitive.?

Bermuda and hosts Antigua are among the favourites to win the event, according to Richardson who scored 5,949 runs in 86 Test matches.

Antigua are the current Masters 20/20 champions in the Caribbean.

?The Antiguan team is a pretty good team that plays regularly,? Richardson said. ?They are a good side, but players that were in the team that have played Test or professional cricket aren?t allowed to play.?

All matches will be staged at the Jolly Beach Cricket Ground and at the newly constructed Sir Viv Richards Stadium.

The Stanford ground, venue for last month?s lucrative Stanford 20/20 Tournament, had been originally set aside for next month?s Masters Tournament.

?What we are going to do now is have some people at the the Sir Viv Richards ground and some at the Jolly Beach Cricket Ground which is a pretty much a walking distance from where the guys are staying,? Richardson explained.

?Most of the guys will be staying at the Jolly Beach Hotel and basically if you get out for a duck and don?t feel like coming back to the pavilion, you can go straight to your room.?