In eight years of Cup Match, Herbie Bascome has experienced the best and worst of times as skipper of St.George?s.

In 1999, the 41-year-old all-rounder successfully defended the showpiece at Wellington Oval in his first year as captain.

One year later, however, Bascome?s world was turned upside down when he lost the cup in Somerset.

?I felt I had deprived the whole St.George?s community of what they love most about cricket . . . and that?s having the cup,? Bascome would later lament.

But as fate would have it, Bascome?s Cup Match career came full-circle last Friday following his team?s dramatic 27-run win over Somerset, retiring as a winner after debuting in 1997 on Clay Smith?s victorious team at Wellington Oval.

?After that loss (in 2000) I just kept myself healthy and motivated enough to try and get the cup back,? he said yesterday. ?And fortunately for me we were able to get it back this year when I was captain again and that is a blessing. Now that we have the cup back I hope St.George?s can keep it and make it difficult for Somerset to get it back in years to come.?

As for this year?s classic, described by many as one of the most controversial ever, Bascome stated: ?You can?t allow people to say this Cup Match was one of the worst when some great things took place. Overall I think this was one of the best Cup Matches ever.?

Recalling some of the events that led to his team?s narrow win, Bascome said he never doubted his team?s ability to defend a modest 120 runs.

Somerset?s inability to apply themselves at the crease, he said, attributed to one of the most dramatic batting collapses seen in recent classics.

Bascome added: ?I told those guys when I was batting, that wicket was becoming dangerous. I got licks all over my body as the ball was popping up all over the place. I told them all we need to do is keep a good line and length and it will be difficult for those guys to make runs.

?The only way they were going to score runs is if we over pitched the ball. We always knew that those 120 runs were going to be like 180 on that wicket. It was definitely a bowler?s wicket and I was glad we batted first because the wicket was getting worse by the hour and I don?t think the Somerset batsmen applied themselves.?

Losing the toss, said Bascome, proved to be a blessing in disguise.

?Janeiro (Somerset skipper Janeiro Tucker) won the toss but when you look at it it was a good toss to lose because if we had won and sent them in to bat then we would have had to bat last on that wicket.?

After announcing his retirement from the classic, Bascome ruled out any thoughts of a comeback.

?You won?t see me playing Cup Match anymore,? he vowed. ?I am officially retired.?