Cyrille Regis, one of the most prominent black players of his generation, will be the star attraction at a celebrity match at Somerset Cricket Club next month.

Several local sportsmen, including John Barry Nusum, a former Bermuda captain, and Lionel Cann, a national team cricketer, will take to the field when Regis’s side face a Clyde Best XI on March 29.

The match is one of several events commemorating the United Nations International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

Best believes Regis’s presence will be a huge draw for the Island’s football fans who he hopes will turn out and show their support.

“I know Cyrille is definitely coming for the game and it’s nice to see that the guy is willing to give something back because that’s what life is all about,” said Best, who starred for West Ham during the Sixties and Seventies,

“I’m friends with Cyrille, although he played a bit after me, and we have kept in touch over the years. This is an important event in terms of what it is representing and hopefully people will come out and get behind it.”

Best, who helped pave the way for the next wave of black players to grace English football, including Regis, ruled out pulling on his boots for the celebrity kickabout.

He said he was unsure whether Regis would be tempted to play or watch from the dugout.

“I don’t think I’ll be playing, those days are gone. I’m not going to be hurting myself,” said Best who will also deliver a talk for local football teams and schoolchildren at Bermuda College on March 28.

“I don’t know about Cyrille, though, he’s a bit younger than me,” Best said. “However, the surfaces in Bermuda are so hard that you have to be careful not to hurt yourself.”

Regis, Brendon Batson and the late Laurie Cunningham, dubbed the “Three Degrees” during their time at West Bromwich Albion, were credited with helping inspire black players in England.

The 56-year-old, who won five caps for England, also played for Coventry City, Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The series of events have been organised by the African Diaspora Heritage Trail Bermuda Foundation. Match tickets cost $10 for adults and $5 for seniors and under-16s.