St. George's captain Herbie Bascome is confident the champions will defend the Cup Match trophy over the next two days -- even though he would have preferred to have another experienced batsman in the team.
Bascome referred specifically to former captain Clevie Wade who was dropped after just one year back, effectively ending his Cup Match career at the age of 40 and after 19 appearances. And with Arnold Manders retiring this year, the team's batting will be without 34 years of experience between just those two players.
"I thought we could have gone with another experienced bat, and Clevie is a big day player,'' said Bascome, who will be playing his fourth Cup Match and second as captain.
"It's unfortunate for him that he didn't make any runs in the last trial match and that's what people were looking at. But when you go into somebody else's back yard you need guys who can dig deep and `Palmer' is a guy you can count on. "But I don't have a problem with the selectors. I feel they did a good job and I'm still happy with the team we've got and feel we can go out there and get the job done. We've got bats all the way down.'' Bascome fully expects the likes of former captain Graham Fox, Ryan Steede and colts Cleon Scotland and OJ Pitcher to do a good job in the middle order.
"The main thing is that everybody has to come with the desire to play at their best,'' said the captain. I know it's not the team that a lot of people were expecting to take into Somerset's backyard, but the guys have played cricket long enough and the main thing is gelling together.
"Charlie (Marshall), Dexter (Smith), Beaver (Mark Ray) and Graham will definitely have to step up and be responsible with Gregg (Foggo), Calabash (Eugene Foggo), Ryan, Beaver and myself doing the bulk of the bowling and Scottie (Scotland) with some off-breaks.'' The Somerset wicket is expected to be prepared to give some assistance to their own spinners, Dwayne Leverock and Hasan Durham, and the St. George's slow bowling pair of Eugene Foggo and Scotland will also be ready to exploit any turn.
"Scotland has 14 wickets right now and people might say he's a part-time bowler but he gets wickets and is experienced enough. He bowled the other day in the trial match and though it was unfortunate he got knocked around, he did get the same batsmen who were knocking him around.'' Bascome would love to begin the new millennium with a victory, but won't throw caution to the wind from the outset, especially as captain of the defending champions.
"We're not going to put ourselves in place to lose,'' he stressed. "I'll be trying to give my team, if we bowl last, at least a 40 percent chance to go out there and bowl them out.'' Last year St. George's were in the driver's seat after the first day when they led by 124 runs before declaring inside the first hour on the second day some 187 runs ahead.
But Albert Steede's decision to bat himself at number four in the Somerset second innings left Bascome wondering about the challengers' tactics.
"I hope Somerset come out and try to attack us and make us be honest,'' said Bascome. "Last year I didn't think they wanted it. I felt we didn't have enough runs overnight so we needed a few more, but Somerset came out defensive.
"They weren't looking to win the cup. Albert went down to number four last year and I didn't know what the plan was but obviously he didn't want to attack the game. I felt they were looking to make sure they didn't get embarrassed.'' Bascome will talk with his senior players before finalising his batting order.
One key decision is Dexter Smith's opening partner who could be Mark Ray, a century maker two years ago at Somerset, or Eugene Foggo. If Foggo opens with Smith then Ray could come in at number three and Marshall at four with 17-year-old colt Pitcher at five or six.
It is in the bowling department where St. George's face possibly their biggest challenge. Four of the five bowlers they used in Somerset's first innings -- Clarkie Trott, Gary Brangman, Lionel Cann and Arnold Manders -- are all missing for various reasons, which puts extra responsibility on the shoulders of the captain and his new ball partner Gregg Foggo, one of six changes.
Herbie Bascome: would like to have bolstered his team with another experienced batsman.
