VETERAN Somerset batsman Dexter Basden closed the final chapter of an illustrious Cup Match career with an aggressive knock of 69 that solidified his side's four-wicket triumph over St. George's.

The 36-year-old Bailey's Bay resident announced his retirement from the mid-summer classic after the game and this week he recalled his scintillating innings.

"I came to the wicket and we were 66 for two and I had told the coach (Winston Reid) that I was going to go out there and play attacking cricket and my skipper (Albert Steede) had said just before he went out to the crease that we were going to approach the second innings as though it were a 50-over match," said Basden.

After falling cheaply in the first innings (five), spilling an easy offering to Clay Smith at silly mid-off off St.George's' colt Peter Philpott, Basden made no mistake the second time around, taking matters into his own hands and immediately setting about the dismantlement of the east enders' attack in punishing form.

"Good cricketers bounce back and if you can't bounce back on the second day then what can you say," he added.

"The first innings basically I had to sit around and come in at number four. I am not used to sitting in the pavilion for an hour or more - that's not me. I am used to putting on the pads and going onto the field.

"I just knew that anything that was there for me to hit, I was going to hit out no matter if we were in trouble or not - I just had to go out there and play my role."

Along with Somerset colt Sheridan (Baldy) Ming anchoring one end, Basden continued to find the gaps at the other, dispatching anything short of length with brute force to the boundary.

"His (Ming's) role was to just stay there and I told him that I was going to play the attacking shots. Once Steede was out - as vice-captain - I had to make sure the ship came home so basically I still had to play a responsible innings, but aggressive."

However, the real fireworks began when Janeiro Tucker (41) joined Basden at the crease and together they posted a whirlwind 63 runs for the fourth wicket that brought Somerset to the brink of victory.

"Being at the crease with Tucker during my final innings - that was really worth it," he admitted.

"Last year, (brother) Richard was there, but I got the opportunity this year to be there with him.

"The crowd loved it. He was banging at one end, and I was banging the other - that was so delightful." Basden also paid homage to Tucker for his record smashing 186 last year at Wellington Oval.

"That was perhaps the second last page of my chapter because I had never seen anything like that before - 186 in Cup Match!" he further exclaimed.

"I was just so glad to be on the team and witness him make that score, and then on the final page I'm batting with him (Tucker). Batting with him gives you so much confidence. Talking to him between the wickets - he's a splendid player."

But when his fine innings came to an abrupt end on 69 attempting to loft St.Goerge's' colt Travis Smith over mid-wicket, the veteran quietly retreated off the pitch and into Somerset folklore.

"Actually it was like a good sending off. I was happy. Obviously I'm going to miss Cup Match, but what topped it off was winning and also helping to get them into a position to win - it was an even better feeling then when I made 77.

"I was just delighted - the final chapter had been closed in my Cup Match career."

During his colourful 14-year relationship with Cup Match, Basden says that amongst some of his most noted accomplishments, playing alongside uncles Rodney and Kevin Fubler and also younger sibling Richard Basden provided one of the best moments of all - along with of course winning the cup as skipper in 1996.

"It was an awesome feeling because we always dreamed of playing Cup Match together one day and it was always one of our goals to play Cup Match together with Somerset," he admitted. "It's really hard to put that into words."

But Basden's Cup Match career wasn't without it's demoralising moments, particularly in 1999 when he was replaced as captain at the 11th hour by Albert Steede.

"That was a disappointment, but this is a gentleman's game and I just had to be a gentleman and take it all in stride."

And even before the 100th anniversary match, many sceptics felt that he should have been put out to pasture after enduring a sub-par season in the First Division.

"This year I haven't had the best of seasons because I find playing in the lower division is sort of hard to raise my game and I take bowlers for granted," he admitted.

"Actually, I'm pretty much suffering playing in the lower league - I like playing with the big boys."

Letting his bat do the talking during a breathtaking second-innings knock, Basden silenced the critics.

"One thing was that whenever there was talk about me not producing or even dropping me I always ended up producing the goods," he added.

He made his debut in the classic in 1988 and six years later Basden was given the privilege of leading Somerset and in only his sophomore year as captain, he defied all odds and led the west enders to an exciting victory at Somerset Cricket Club in 1996.

"It wasn't about my individual performances it was just making sure that I controlled the team and put guys in the right positions and made the right decisions at the right time in order to win," said a modest Basden.

"So my whole five years of captaining was basically being a team man - I never really worked on an individual score or really focused on scoring a century until last week when I thought that I would go for it after making a half century on the second day. But I did manage to score 72 in 1995 and 77 in 1999."

After reaching a deserved half century late Friday afternoon, wife Carla added affection to an already memorable occasion by running onto the pitch to personally congratulate her husband. "That was definitely a special moment," he said.

Basden now leaves the classic with 569 runs to his credit at an average of 27.70 from 24 innings.

He is also remains ninth on the all-time Cup Match list for the most catches with 14.

He added: "I have definitely enjoyed my Cup match career and I will love Somerset forever."