Dear Sir,

Another Cup Match, another draw.

As an ardent Somerset fan I can't imagine that even St George's fans love draws.

There's no glory in keeping the Cup due to a rain delay or because you can put two guys to bat who will poke the ball all afternoon.

Cup Match the institution and its fans deserve more than that.

Our forefathers who initiated Cup Match deserve more than that.

Suggestion: Neither club keeps the Cup if there is a draw.

Let it sit in a 'neutral' place until it is won by a team. Cup Match does not have to be extended to a third day. What is needed is an incentive to make both clubs go out and fight for the cup.

The competition does not need limited overs, however any rain delay should trigger a limited-overs match proportionate to the time lost.

But where could constitute a 'neural' location? It'll have to be somewhere not perceived to be culturally linked or biased towards either east or west.

Given the origin of Cup Match in our Emancipation celebration, I suggest the Cup be placed in a vault at Government House where her royal majesty's representative can 'keep watch' until it is out-right won by the winning club.

It think the thought of our revered Cup sitting with the Governor should give the teams an incentive to go out and play for victory.

Imagine after Friday's finish the Cup is handed to Mr Gozney in front of the Bermuda crowd for another year. Each victor would take on a 'Robin Hood' appeal, 'liberating' the Cup from our Colonial watch-keeper would add to the folklore of Cup Match and I doubt we'll see another draw ever again.

It doesn't have to be done to ridicule the Governor either.

It's the symbolism that will guarantee a result.

Robert Trew

Somerset For Life

Dear Sir,

Having spent a wonderful day on Friday, watching some very entertaining cricket, I was absolutely baffled when the match was declared a draw with 12 overs still remaining.

No true cricket fan can say that it is impossible to take six wickets in 72 balls, no matter how defensive the batsmen.

In any serious game of cricket you play until it is mathematically impossible for you to win.

Somerset's concession of the draw set a terrible example to the youngsters of this country.

It was also disrespectful to the thousands of Somerset fans who had paid their money to watch their team battle, not give in when the going got tough.

To take a famous quote from Harper's Lee To Kill a Mockingbird: 'courage…. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win……….but sometimes you do'.

Disgruntled cricket fan