Although he?s listed among the top five batsmen in the Premier Division batting averages, Somerset Cup Match skipper Janeiro Tucker really hasn?t been up to his usually prolific self with the bat this season.

In contrast to last summer when runs seemed to flow profusely, Tucker seems to be just going through the motions these days.

Perhaps his one-ball duck at last week?s Stanford 20/20 Tournament in Antigua best summed up the master-blaster?s fortunes of late.

?It really wasn?t nothing I could do. I was given out lbw and not dismissed taking a big heave or doing something silly,? Tucker explained.

?My luck just hasn?t been that good lately although I?m sure things will get better because everybody goes through a little bad patch.

?And I never let things worry me because I know once the runs come, they are not going to stop for a while. I am not really worrying about myself . . . . it?s just a matter of getting the other guys focused on doing what it is they have to do.

?I can always raise my level on the occasion, that?s definitely no problem for me.?

And if there is one occasion that always seems to bring the best out of Tucker, irrespective of form, then it has to be Cup Match where he holds multiple batting records.

In 1999, Tucker became the first Somerset batsman to score a century at Wellington Oval, and then in 2001 surpassed Lloyd James? 39-year-old individual batting record (173) and set a new mark of 186.

Tucker, a two-time Cup Match MVP, also shares batting partnership records in the classic with Albert Steede, Saleem Mukuddem, Richard Basden and Wendell White for the fifth and sixth wickets.

So what is it that makes him click on the big day?

?I just go out there and play my normal game,? Tucker explained. ?I don?t look to score big runs, I just let things happen naturally.

?Cup Match is the biggest game in Bermuda and people come out to see the best play. Therefore you have to go out there and try and give your best performance on the day.

?I just go out there and try to put my best foot forward and give the fans their money?s worth.?

As for personal milestones, Tucker said: ?If the opportunity arises then certainly I am going to try and take them with open arms.?

Twenty-two years after watching his father John ? who also captained Somerset?s Cup Match team ? lose the cup in 1983, Tucker would suffer the same fate last summer at Wellington Oval where his team went down by 27 runs.

But having quickly put the past behind him, Tucker now looks forward to the new challenge of regaining the coveted showpiece he left in the East End nearly 12 months ago.

?Last year we wasn?t really defending the cup . . . we were actually in a position to win it. But things just didn?t work out for us under certain circumstances,? he said.

In pursuit of a paltry 121 runs for victory, Somerset?s batsmen buckled under the weight of a George O?Brien jr-led St.George?s? attack.

?We always go out to win first and defend after,? Tucker added. ?But my main focus now is to win the cup back because whenever a team loses the cup the blame is pretty much placed on the captain.

?So my main emphasis is to win the cup back to redeem myself, that?s how I look at things.?

Tucker?s plans for victory, however, have been set back by the loss of two key players.

Wicketkeeper/batsman Kwame Tucker has ruled himself out through injury (see story this page), while young off spinner Rodney Trott has opted to instead play for St.George?s in the classic.

Yet Tucker remains adamant the show must go on.

?Kwame?s case is unfortunate,? he said. ?But Rodney?s case is a whole different ball game. It seems to me as though somebody put pressure on him to play for St.George?s, and I just hope things work out for him.

?He (Trott) has certainly had a good season and I was hoping he would have been in our plans. But in the end he has to live with his decision and I still wish him the best of luck.?