The minnows of the Commercial Cricket League are set to take on Bermuda's Premier Division 'big boys' for the first time this season.

The Commercial League, founded more than 30 years ago, have accepted an invitation from Bermuda Cricket Board of Control to field two teams in this season's resurrected Knockout tournament.

"It's an exciting opportunity for us," a Commercial League spokesman said last night.

St. David's, last season's impressive league and knockout winners, have been chosen as one of the two Commercial teams with the other a Select XI from the remaining clubs.

National coach Mark Harper, who made the offer to the Commercial League as part of his plans for sweeping changes to Bermuda cricket, said it had not yet been decided how the draw would be made for the Knockout.

He said it was possible clubs could be seeded for the early rounds with the two Commercial sides going into the hat with teams finishing in the bottom half of last season's Premier Division.

"It's not yet been decided," Harper said. "If we even it up more it could be of more benefit to everybody."

George O'Brien, skipper of last season's all-conquering St. David's Commercial side, said: "I'm very happy with the new plan. It's great and we should get more people out to games."

The BCBC have accepted a Commercial proposal that in future each season's league champions, as well as a Select XI, will enter the 50 overs a side Knockout.

"This is certainly a big incentive for teams to win our league now," added the spokesman for the Commercial League, whose players are used to 42 overs a side league matches and 40 overs a side knockout games.

The BCBC Knockout tournament was scrapped last season to give national team players more time to prepare for the ICC Trophy tournament in Canada - an MCC team flew in for a series of matches to help sharpen them up - but the Island disappointingly failed in their bid to win one of the three ICC places in next year's World Cup in South Africa after being knocked out by Namibia.