Bermuda cricket is hoping to establish even closer links with the West Indies when two former Test players Joel Garner and Gus Logie arrive here next month.

The pair have accepted an invitation to participate in the third annual testimonial cricket match at Somerset Cricket Club on September 13.

It will be a 40 overs match with the foreign players on separate teams which will otherwise feature all Island ex-players. One team will comprise mostly of former St. George's Cup Match players and the other Somerset.

St. Clair (Brinky) Tucker of the Testimonial Committee said that his group were thrilled to secure the services of the duo, both of whom he said were still an integral part of the sport of cricket in the West Indies.

Garner, a former fast bowler, is a member of the West Indies Cricket Board and is also the manager of the West Indies `A' team which is currently preparing to tour South Africa, while Logie is the WICB's youth team coach.

It is expected that both officials will meet informally with local BCBC members while here.

"We have two quality players coming in this pair, they are players who have had long illustrious careers in cricket and are still making huge contributions to West Indies cricket,'' said Tucker.

This marks the second straight year that two foreign players have been brought in for the event. Last year West Indian Phil Simmons and Phil DeFreitas of England were here while Simmons was the lone player brought in in 1995 when the testimonial kicked off by honouring Clarence Parfitt.

Garner and Logie retired from Test cricket a few years ago but have remained in excellent shape and should be top attractions for the match which will honour Anthony (Sonny) Roberts and Anthony A. Madeiros and the late Amon Hunt.

Charities will be awarded proceeds from the gate receipts.

"The important thing is that the two teams will be competitive, which means the cricket will be interesting all the way,'' reckoned Tucker.

Garner, of Barbados, was one of the tallest Test players ever at 6-foot-8. He is a strongly built fast bowler who presented problems to batsmen with his high delivery that created sharp bounces.

In addition to playing Test cricket he also played for Somerset in the English County Championship at the same time as former greats Viv Richards and Ian Botham. He also had a stint in Australia. Garner played 58 Tests, claiming 259 wickets and scored 672 runs between 1975 and 1988.

The dimninutive Logie hails from Trinidad and Tobago and at 5-feet-4 was one of the shortest players to play for the West Indies. The right-handed batsman normally batted at number six and often rescued the team when early order batsmen failed. Logie's first-class career spanned from 1977 to 1992 and he played 52 Tests and scored 2,470 runs, including two centuries.

Team A: G.Brown (capt), B.DeCouto, J.Tucker, R.Butler, O.Bain, R.Tucker, E.James, W.Reid, W.Trott, Q.Sherlock, G.Campbell, B.Brangman, M.Roberts, F.Bento, R.Madeiros, C.Fubler, A.Donawa, C.Blades. Manager is Randy Horton and assistant manager Charles Daulphin.

Team B: N.Darrell (capt), L.Thomas, L.Raynor, E.Raynor, I.Creighton, D.Wainwright, R.Simons, A.Pitcher, S.West, J.Pitcher, E.Pitcher, S.Furbert, V.Fox, R.Hollis, D.Morris, S.Douglas, F.Brewster. Manager is Cal Symonds and assistant manager Alfred Hall.