Cup Match is in need of a new statistician following the announcement that respected cricket historian Tommy Aitchison will stand down from a role he has held for over 60 years.

In a letter published today in Sports Mailbox (page 18), the 90-year-old said it had been a ?thrilling journey? since he first took on the the time-consuming job, but that at such an advanced age it was necessary for somebody younger to fill his shoes.

A former Sports Editor of the Mid-Ocean News, Aitchison left Bermuda in 2004 to live in Arizona, but still managed to update the Cup Match records, having had all the statistics from last year?s game mailed to him by long-time friend Tony Lumsden.

?Sadly for me it is time to stand down from my long-time role as records-keeper for over 60 years,? he wrote.

?At 90, I am nearly as old as Cup Match itself . . . it has been a thrilling journey and acknowledgement of rare feats of Bermudian cricket excellence, and part of an ever-evolving showcase of the most traditional of all Bermuda?s sporting events.?

Just before he left the Island, Aitchison was honoured by St. George?s Cricket Club for his ?diligent? service to the 103-year old classic.

?Words cannot adequately express our gratitude,? St. George?s president Neil Paynter said.

Aitchison has completed a list of all 410 players who have played in Cup Match since it began in 1902, together with their statistical totals, and has handed this over along with his records from every match to the Government Archivist Karla Hayward.