Ryan Steede, the St George’s coach, admits it is going to take time to find a team strong enough to be competitive with Somerset, after another below-par performance in the rain-hit Cup Match three weeks ago.

Criticism of the team has been constant since Somerset nearly pulled off a victory despite the first day being almost completely lost to rain.

“Much has been said about the St George’s team this year, the team we picked and the way they performed,” said Steede, whose team struggled against a better-prepared Somerset side. “Some of the criticism I can accept, but some of it is a bit unfair.”

St George’s were dismissed for 89 in the first innings and were 58 for five in the second innings before an unbroken stand of 46 between Lionel Cann and Rodney Trott saved them from possible defeat late on the second day.

“Right now we’re in a rebuilding stage and it is going to take hard work and dedication from everyone in order to beat Somerset,” Steede said.

He was one of the selectors who spent more than four hours picking the team in what is understood to have been a sometimes tense meeting.

At about 2am the selectors announced a team with four changes, in keeping with the trend of each of the four previous years when six changes were made. Somerset, though, kept a settled team, making only two changes, both forced on them by the retirements of Janeiro Tucker and Jacobi Robinson.

“We know St George’s are in a place we don’t like to be, that being without the Cup Match cup,” Steede said.

“But, truth be told, St George’s have been hit hard in the last decade when we’ve lost key players to unfortunate circumstances.”

Steede was referring to the loss of Delray Rawlins to a professional contract in England after one Cup Match, as well as the deaths of Travis Smith and Landro Minors to bike accidents, Fiqre Crockwell to a shooting last year, the retirement of Glenn Blakeney through illness and Jason Anderson’s suspension imposed last year.

“Then OJ Pitcher got sick this year at the last minute,” Steede added. “Somerset are a strong unit, I have to admit that, I take my hat off to them, but they can be beaten and sooner or later St George’s will beat them. Our preparation for next year has begun and there is a chance we will have to play more youngsters.

“I take my hat off to Dennis Wainwright and Neville Darrell for taking out the time to pass on information; we need more of that from our ex-cricketers. Why not come around more so that the players can see that? To the diehard St George’s supporters, I ask you to be a little patient with us; our problems are not an overnight fix. We lost some key players to unfortunate circumstances. In the Cup Match team this year only two players have scored fifties.”

Steede added: “Until St George’s win the cup, people are never going to be satisfied with the team that is picked. From social media to people on the streets, everywhere I go people are asking questions.

“Somerset have been blessed with the talent they have and they have stuck with their players through thick and thin. Maybe we can take a page out of their book.

“Somerset have been rebuilding the last ten years, while we have lost personnel that has set us back. I understand that we need to do things differently.”

St George’s are battling for automatic promotion from the One First Division and Steede believes promotion could signal a turnaround for the club.

“My main focus is to get St George’s promoted,” the coach said. “I will deal with my future at the end of the season.”

St George’s have a league match with Willow Cuts rescheduled for September 9, the date set aside for rescheduled matches. “We have three games left and need to win two of the three to confirm our promotion,” Steede said.

n Chris Douglas, of Somerset, received his Cup Match MVP award yesterday at Stevedoring Services, making it three Somerset winners of the award since Stevedoring became the sponsors two years ago. Douglas scored 69. his first half-century in Cup Match, as Somerset posted 211 for seven declared in their only innings.

Derrick Brangman was the 2015 winner and Janeiro Tucker won last year, when he exited the Annual Classic with his fifth century.