Bermuda?s ?golden oldie? cricketers will finally get the chance to try and settle an old score with Antigua next October when the Island will send an over-45s Masters squad to the Independence Cricket Fest.

Under the captaincy of Sir Viv Richards, Antigua toured Bermuda in 1984, winning three limited overs matches convincingly before being held to a draw in a two-day affair by the senior national team at Somerset Cricket Club.

Bermuda Cricket Board (BCB) executive Allen Richardson, who departs for Cuba today for an ICC Americas Region meeting along with BCB president Reggie Pearman and chief executive Neil Speight, confirmed last week that Bermuda would be sending a squad to Antigua for the second annual festival.

Former West Indies skippers Richards and Richie Richardson are among those organising October?s spectacle in the Caribbean.

Richardson is currently CEO of the Antigua and Barbuda Sports Tourism Alliance while Richards is chairman.

Richardson succeeded Richards as West Indies captain in 1992.

?We are a division of the Ministry of Tourism and our main objective is to organise sporting events that are going to attract visitors to Antigua and Barbuda,? explained Richardson, scorer of 5,949 Test runs.

?This year we are going to have our second annual Independence Cricket Fest and are hoping to have teams from England, Hong Kong, New York, Philadelphia, Canada, Florida, teams from the Caribbean and of course Bermuda taking part.

?We are not only inviting players but also their families and friends because everybody can come to celebrate our jubilee independence celebrations. We want people to come to Antigua and have a great time. We also hope to arrange beach picnics and boat cruises and lots of other activities around the Island.

?We are going to have various musical artists performing and it?s going to be a great time to be in Antigua.?

The tournament is slated to run from October 21 to the 28. All matches will be 30-over contests.

Antigua will also host the Stanford Twenty/20 Tournament in July.

?We are really hoping the Stanford tournament helps to lift the current state of cricket in the Caribbean,? Richardson added.

The former Windies skipper, who scored a magnificent 129 against Somerset Cricket Club at White Hill Field and 91 against Bermuda at Somerset, said Masters cricket was presently thriving in his native Antigua.

?We have a vibrant Masters team and league in Antigua,? Richardson added. ?We do have an active club here and also go on tours and stuff like that.?

Richardson retired from Test cricket in 1995 and One-Day Internationals a year later, but still remains fairly active in the sport in his role as captain of Lashings Cricket Club in the UK where he spends the summer months playing to help raise money for charity.

?We play like 40 matches in 11 weeks which is a lot of cricket,? Richardson explained. ?We go around the UK promoting the game and raising funds for charity and stuff like that.

?We have all international players playing with us like Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh along with a number of other former top players during the season.?

Richardson, however, will not be taking part in October?s tournament nor will the legendary Richards.

?Sir Viv and myself are not eligible to play because professionals are not permitted to play in the tournament,? he explained. ?However, there is a possibility we could play in an exhibition match before the tournament starts.

?The intent of the Independence Cricket Fest is to promote fun and we do not want it to become too competitive. It?s going to be fun for the players more than anything else.?

Richardson, in-law of former Bermuda Cricket Board of Control president Ed Bailey, will also get the chance to renew old friendships with some Bermudian players.

?Bermudians have been coming to Barbados and Antigua whenever there?s cricket and so I have met a lot of Bermudian friends over the years,? he said. ?There?s always been a very good rapport between myself and people from Bermuda and my wife has family in Bermuda. So we have strong ties.

?Bermudians are wonderful people and I apologise for not making the 20/20 World Cricket Classic as I was summoned to Toronto by the Government and could not turn it down.

?But I met up with Joel Garner (former West Indies fast bowler) a few days ago in Philadelphia and he mentioned what a great time he had and how hospitable the people are in Bermuda. He really had a good time and is struggling to recover.?

During his brief stay in Bermuda, Garner also assisted national coach and former Windies team-mate Gus Logie coaching national team bowlers prior to their departure for Trinidad earlier this week.