choice for the Most Valuable Player award delivered during a lunchtime ceremony yesterday at Bermuda Cricket Board of Control headquarters.

With beaming smile, White gleefully received the glittering, silver trophy, along with a cheque for an undisclosed amount, from BCBC president El James on behalf of sponsors Camel.

A humble White went on to thank club and team officials and team-mates, as well as his wife Deana for making it possible for him to achieve success during the mid-summer classic.

"I feel honoured to be standing up here holding this trophy because it makes me feel proud of my achievement in cricket here in Bermuda and especially as a part of Somerset,'' said White, a native of Barbados, who moved to the Island four years ago.

"I want to thank those who chose me for the award and hope that some other players will look at me, not necessarily as a role model, but one that has a very positive mind towards the game, towards their club, and they may end up here next year the same as I am this year.'' White set Cup Match alight with a brilliant knock of 93 on the first day, an innings made all the more significant by the fact that he arrived at the crease with the challengers struggling at 29 for four, while chasing St.

George's first innings total of 192.

Rather than sit on his bat and patiently graft away, White launched a ruthless attack upon his opponents, pulling Somerset out of the mire into a formidable position to win the cup.

"It's something I always wanted to do from last year when Bermuda just thought I was a bowler,'' said White, reflecting on his innings. "But I'm a batting allrounder really and I was praying just to have an early knock in Cup Match and the opportunity was given to me by the selectors, the captain, the manager of the team, so I had it in mind that if I got an early knock I could do it.

"I went in there, put my head down and saw myself through. I felt bad because I didn't get the three figures, but my biggest achievement was pulling Somerset out of the hole. I went to bat with us 30 for four and when I got out we were 206, so I would say that's my biggest innings and I'm still on a high.'' As for the critics, who had often referred to the Bajan as merely a bowler who could occasionally score runs, White reiterated his stance as a player more to the opposite end of the spectrum.

"I was an opening batsman all my life and played professionally in England for a couple of years,'' he declared. "Coming to Bermuda I decided I'd bat at four to maybe hold the middle order and people following the papers should see that I'm more a batsman than a bowler. But people began thinking that White's just a bowler that could come in a slug fifty.

"I'm not a slugger, I'm a cricketer, an allrounder and people like yourself should know.'' Valuable commodity: Wendell White is all smiles as he raises the Cup Match MVP trophy, awarded for his spectacular batting performance in the recent classic.

AWARD AWD