Behind the stunning innings of Janeiro Tucker, the St George's pitch could claim to be the biggest contributor to Somerset's success in retaining the Cup Match trophy.

Both Somerset captain, Albert Steede and his St George's' counterpart Charlie Marshall believed the strip crucial to the outcome.

While Steede's men still had to go out there and post a total worthy of the occasion, the victorious leader believed the manner in which it had been prepared played into his side's hands.

"I think the pitch backfired on the St George's team. They anticipated more movement and probably some unevenness," said Steede. "But it was a batsman's paradise out there and our batsmen batted true to form. They put up a mammoth total in the first innings and consolidated to secure the draw."

As you might expect Marshall wasn't so happy with a pitch that allowed such a run-fest.

"I wasn't too pleased with the pitch at all," he said. "We played the final trial match last Saturday and the wicket had more grass on it and I asked Mr (Mansfield) 'Bojangles' Smith not to roll it because the wicket was fine for the two days.

"It was a pleasure to win the toss but after the first hour it went into a batting strip, so I wasn't too pleased at all with the preparation of the wicket for the past two days."

Both men paid tribute to Tucker's innings.

"I think everyone who witnessed his performance was treated to something special," said Steede. "I'm just glad I was a part of the team and also the captain. I can tell my children and my grandchildren that I played with the record-breaking Janeiro Tucker."

Marshall added: "He challenged my bowlers and he did extremely well - it was unfortunate he didn't get a third of those runs in Canada at the ICC tournament, otherwise I was very pleased with his performance."

As for next year, Steede said he would be looking to make home advantage pay.

"We are going home and that's always very comforting. We can prepare a wicket to our liking, hopefully mount a successful defence and hopefully get a victory," he said. "Somerset people are very passionate about Cup Match. We 13 players are representing the whole parish, (the supporters) are really passionate about the game and we can't let them down."

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