Neighbours St George’s and St David’s have an interesting way of calling on each other’s talent.

St George’s have appointed OJ Pitcher as their Cup Match captain — the second St David’s player appointed to the position after Lionel Cann a few years ago — while St David’s have named Dean Minors, the former St George’s wicketkeeper, as a consultant coach for their league team, the latest former St George’s player to work with St David’s in that capacity.

Clay Smith, Wendell Smith and Graham Fox, who assisted the team in a coaching capacity earlier this season, have all worked with the St David’s team. Now Minors, who also had a stint as a player with St David’s when Clay Smith was coach, has agreed to come on board in a consultant role, marking his first game with defeat against Somerset.

“I’m just a consultant, I come there and help with the training sessions and give them a bit of advice,” Minors said. “I haven’t signed anything so that’s what I consider myself to be.

“I like the word consultant, it has a bit of flexibility to it. From what I understand, Graham was doing the same thing, helping out.”

St David’s, with three wins in four league matches, are aiming for a third straight league title with Southampton Rangers and Bailey’s Bay their main rivals in the Logic Premier Division.

The two Eastern Counties sides will meet in tomorrow’s top game, the last outing for Bay before they return to Lord’s next Saturday for the first round of the Counties as Cleveland County begin the defence of their title.

Minors, Fox and Clay Smith were all part of the successful team built by Wendell Smith at St George’s in the 1980s and have carried that same philosophy into coaching. St David’s are now one of the Island’s top teams with two of their senior players, Pitcher and Delyone Borden, both younger members of the Bermuda World Cup team in 2007, along with Minors.

“My philosophy is just to respect the game of cricket because it has brought so much to so many cricketers around the world,” said Minors. “I remind them that, yes, you do have the talent but you have to respect this game.”

Minors admits the toughest task at St David’s is motivating a team that has won all the honours in the last few years.

“You have to remind yourselves that you have younger players coming behind you and that you have a bigger responsibility to the game in general,” he said. “I played for St David’s in 2000 when we won everything, when Clay was coach over there.’

Minors applauds the appointment of Pitcher as the St George’s Cup Match captain which he believes is “definitely a move in the right direction.

“I think he’s ready to take over, he’s level-headed and last weekend proved his worth when he led the team [against Flatts], and scored a century.”

Tomorrow’s other Premier Division matches will see Cleveland playing Flatts at Wellington Oval in another all-Eastern Counties matchup, while Western Counties sides Willow Cuts and Southampton Rangers will clash at Somerset. The two sides will also meet today in the second round of the Western Counties at Southampton Oval.

In First Division action tomorrow Somerset Bridge are at home to St George’s, Western Stars take on PHC at St John’s Field, and Warwick welcome Devonshire Rec to Southampton Oval.

n Bailey’s Bay all-rounder Malachi Jones has been banned for his conduct in a recent league match against Somerset when he “showed dissent to an umpire’s decision” while batting.

Jones pleaded guilty to a Level 2 breach of the BCB Code of Conduct and has been suspended for two Logic Premier League games in accordance with the Code of Conduct sanction for a Level 2 first offence. Jones is banned until July 20.