St. George's Cricket Club's cricket programme has received a boost with confirmation that son-of-the soil Clay Smith has inked a three-year coaching deal with last season's Belco Cup finalists.

The 38-year old former St.George's and Bermuda skipper has officially severed ties with Cleveland County and will take over the top coaching post at Wellington Oval – where he cut his teeth coming through the ranks – from Noel Gibbons.

Smith, the third new coach at the East End club in the past three seasons, says he's looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead and is determined to restore St.George's' cricket programme to the lofty heights it previously enjoyed in the 1980s and 90s.

"Basically I will be coaching the senior team while also overseeing the youth programme to ensure that is being run accordingly. And it's good to be back home and I am very pleased to be back," he told The Royal Gazette.

"It's been a long time coming because I have been away helping other clubs with their programmes, but now it's time to come back and give something back to my club."

St.George's were relegated from the Digicel Premier 50-Overs League last campaign and having coached St. David's to a clean sweep of domestic league and cup honours in 2001, Smith is now being touted as the right man to get the East Enders' cricket programme back on track.

"I believe there's a need for me to be in St. George's to resurrect their programme and get it back to what it used to be. And I look forward to the challenge," added Smith, the only batsman to score three centuries in Cup Match.

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Level Two certified coach now plans to implement a well-organised programme that he says will be attractive to his players.

"I want to put a together a solid programme that the players can respect and understand what dircetion I am coming from. I have very high expectations of the players who I know haven't had much in terms of structure and training in the past year or two," he added.

"For me it's just a matter of going back and starting all over again implementing a solid programme that players we want to be a part of and letting them know what my expectations of them are. We have a lot of youngsters coming through and if I need to pull from them to make sure we have a solid base then I'll do that if need be."

Smith also hopes to "lure" former Bermuda and St. George's team -mate and childhood friend Dean Minors back to Wellington Oval.

For the past few seasons Minors has been coaching at Flatts Victoria Cricket Club.

"I will try my best to lure him (Minors) back home as well because the both of us have been away from St. George's for a long while," added Smith. "He and I have talked about it briefly but whether or not it comes to fruition is now all up to St. George's.

"Dean is a very good person who I would love to have working with me to help bring the youngsters at the club through the ranks."

As for severing ties with a Cleveland side he toured England with last summer, Smith described parting company with is former team as "one of the toughest decisions" he's made in his coaching career to date.

"I am very sad to leave Cleveland at this particular time because every year I was there we actually progressed. We made great progress in the past three years and the players gave me nothing but respect from day one, which is something that impressed me very much," he reflected.

"The players at Cleveland were very committed to the programme and I must take hat off to them because they have done everything that has been asked of them – and I am very grateful for that.

"It was probably one of my toughest decisions I have had to make leaving Cleveland at this particular time. But as they say, 'there's no place like home', and now I must go back home in St. George's and do what I have to because it doesn't make any sense helping other clubs out, when the club that helped bring me up is going through trials and tribulations in terms of its cricket."