Bermuda listeners to BBC Sportsworld had a special treat last weekend when Shaun Goater and Clarance “Nicky” Saunders appeared as the live show’s special guests.

The pair of Bermuda legends talked to host Lee James about their careers in sport — Goater as a footballer with Manchester City and Saunders as a record-breaking, gold-medal winner in the high jump at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland.

Saunders, who was at the London studio whereas Goater was in Manchester, where the show is broadcast, appeared on BBC’s radar when he returned to Bermuda in April for the Queen’s Baton Relay as part of the build-up to the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Saunders was the Bermuda team’s attaché in Glasgow, where the Games were held in July and August.

“While I was in Glasgow I had an interview with BBC, who were aware of me from the Queen’s Baton, and it went well,” said Saunders, who lives in Fulham, West London.

“It was a surprise that they called me on Friday and said Shaun was going to be on the radio show, which was good because I’ve been trying to get hold of Shaun. He’s loved out here.

“It was a bit of fun, that’s the way I look at it. They were going to have Shaun on anyway and decided ‘Nick is in the area, let’s call him and we’ll have the Bermuda thing’.”

Saunders, who is married with four daughters, made the short journey to the studio where he shared with the listeners that he also played for the Bermuda Under-21 football team.

“They wanted us to talk about anything and they knew I was an avid Chelsea fan. I don’t live too far from Stamford Bridge,” said Saunders, who works in insurance in London.

Saunders said that he enjoys promoting Bermuda whenever he can and plans to keep in touch with Goater.

“It’s nice to see a fellow Bermudian while you’re out there,” said Saunders, who has lived in London for nine years. “It’s a great city but I miss home. I wish I could be home to give more back but my family want to be here.

“My wife is Greek and when you marry a Greek you marry the family as well!

“I would love to be part of the Bermuda Department of Tourism in London, doing something in the area of sports tourism.

“Who better to sell Bermuda in that capacity than Bermudians?”

Saunders played for Devonshire Colts in the 1980s alongside Lorenzo Symonds, the former Bermuda captain, in the heart of the team’s defence.

“I was into track and field at the same time as football and Clive Longe [the former Bermuda national track coach] used to chase me around the Island telling me he wanted me to do track and field,” Saunders said.

Symonds, who captained the Bermuda team for ten years, said that Saunders was an outstanding youngster who made his job as sweeper an easier one.

Saunders was a part of the Colts team in 1980-81 that won the Friendship Trophy and included players such as Ellsworth Lambert, Erskine “Choe” Smith, James Tweed, Loren Belboda, Marvin Campbell, Charles Brown, Wayne Richardson, Jeff Richardson, Ralph Douglas, Peter Furbert and Anthony Manders.

“The biggest thing about Nicky as a player was because he could jump so high not many people could beat him in the air,” said Symonds, who credits winning the MVP that season to the contribution Saunders made alongside him

“He was also a quick sprinter.

“If you have a player in front of you who is doing their job then you, as a sweeper, are only sweeping up the mess. He really helped me at that time.”