wasting little time getting their team prepared for an all-out battle during the mid-summer classic.

Already the west-enders have scheduled a Wednesday training session (6 p.m.) for potential players clearly with an eye on wresting the prestigious trophy from their eastern counterparts St. George's.

Club secretary Reginald Pearman played down the issue of starting training with only three weeks gone in the season.

"We chose to start early this year, that's all,'' said Pearman, who was a member of last year's selection committee. "The reason is obvious. We want to get our programme under way early.'' Clearly a message is being sent, however, there are some who feel that it is one of desperation as the club have little resources at home and wish to make an early impression on Cup Match hopefuls with no affiliation.

Somerset have lost club players at an alarming rate in recent years, which has resulted in slipping standards as they have languished among the lower half of the Premier Division.

The latest exodus witnessed former youth squad players Davon Wade, Dwight Basden and Jermaine Warner moving over to neighbours Willow Cuts.

However, the club's lowest ebb may have been reached when they lost by two wickets to newcomers PHC a little more than a week ago.

Police were the latest to administer a thorough beating, theirs an emphatic eight-wicket defeat of the home side. Both matches saw Somerset fail to cross the century mark, totalling 80 and 65 respectiveely.

Somerset's league team have come to rely increasingly on veterans and the team's leadership has also come into question with the election of the unproven Charles Swan as skipper, whose main claim to fame thus far has been a brief appearance in Cup Match as a reserve.

Swan succeeded Perry Maybury at the beginning of the season, but has not been guaranteed the job for Cup Match.

On the flip side, the move start preparations early could reap dividends if the club are successful in attracting additional players who might feel that they could get a longer look at Somerset and thus have more opportunities to impress the selectors.

The increased pool at the west could mean that St. George's have less to choose from, but it could be a moot point as the latter are known for their reluctance to go outside the ranks if their league side are of a high standard.

Prospects are that Somerset may not be able to include a solitary league team member in the side for the annual classic July 28-29, a move unprecedented in the annals of Cup Match.

A meeting will follow tomorrow's training session.