HIS performances and general attitude may belie his age but when Greg Maybury addresses his captain as Mr. Romaine, one is quickly reminded just how young the youngest member of the new-look Bermuda cricket team really is.A couple of months ago there was some concerns that 14-year-old Maybury may be a bit too young to be pushed into the Under 19 national team for the trip to Barbados for the Sir Garfield Sobers Tournament. But the old sports adage ‘if you’re good enough you’re old enough’ certainly applies to the Somerset youngster who will be flying out again in early August with the Bermuda senior team for a portion of the month-long trip to Denmark, Holland and Ireland.

His inclusion makes him possibly the youngest player to tour with the senior national team and while he will be going mainly for the exposure, Irving Romaine expects he will get a game during the tour.

“He’s a good little player,” Romaine said of the allrounder whose medium pace seam and swing could be suited to the conditions in Denmark and Holland.

“He’s going on this tour mainly for experience and he is definitely in the plans for the future. He stands out with his peers, that’s why he got the call-up for the Under 19s. Coach (Gus Logie) sees the potential and thinks he can be a very good cricketer with his batting as well as his bowling.

“I met him at Warwick Academy when I was going around to the schools coaching and he made himself available to help with the team. I just started bowling balls at him in the gym and asked him what he plays and he said he only played in the Under 15s. I made mention to Arnold Manders, Andre Manders and Clevie Wade that I think he should be in the Under 19 squad.”

With the national squad going through a transformation with a few players retiring after the World Cup, Romaine thinks there are some exciting young players coming through. A year ago it was Malachi Jones and Stefan Kelly, now Greg Maybury, nephew of former Somerset captain Perry Maybury, is coming to the fore.

“His attitude is amazing, the respect he shows to his elders,” said Romaine. “His manners stand out as soon as you meet him. He calls me Mr Romaine...’thank you Mr. Romaine, I’ll work on that’.

“I haven’t spoken to Perry about him but he swings the ball similar, both ways. I’m impressed with his bowling, definitely. I don’t know what the coach has in store but I’m sure he will get a game (on the tour) because the conditions will definitely suit him. He will just enjoy training and travelling with the senior team.”

Romaine, vice captain Stephen Outerbridge and Lionel Cann will carry a heavy batting responsibility in the absence of retired Clay Smith, Saleem Mukudden and wicketkeeper Dean Minors, as well as Janeiro Tucker and Kwame Tucker who will miss the tour. It will be a good opportunity for newcomers like James Celestine, Maurice Lowe, Roderick Masters and Arthur Pitcher to stake their claims.

“Everybody’s wondering who’s going to make the runs, the seniors will definitely have to step up,” the captain concedes.

“The top six will have to make runs in the makeup of this squad. The batsmen will have to bat and the bowlers really have to bowl and chip in with 30s, 40s and 50s. In my opinion if the Under 19s qualify in August in Canada (for the World Cup), I think the majority of the squad will be under 19 because they would be getting ready for a major tournament.”

With the demands of the national team, Romaine has opted out of a return to the Somerset Cup Match team after a six year absence. He confirmed this week that the challengers had approached him with the view to a recall.

“I had been approached, but I told them this will be year number six that I haven’t played Cup Match and in those six years things are a lot different now that I have a family,” said Romaine.

“I told them that leaving on a month’s trip two or three days after Cup Match that I will spend it with my family because in the last years I have been away just about every month. I told them after six years out and with them planning for the future, calling me back for one year, maybe, is not really planning for the future.”

Added Romaine: “I hear the comments about the national squad captain not playing in Cup Match but when you have a family and almost every month in the last two years you are hopping up and going, I think I will spend some time with the family.”

Romaine, who will come up against an in-form Lionel Cann when Bailey’s Bay meet St. David’s in the first round of the Eastern Counties tomorrow, had a mixed response to Cann’s double century last week.

“I know he’s smiling right now but on the other hand when thinking about Bailey’s Bay I hope he’s used up all his runs,” said the Bermuda captain.

“It’s hit or miss with him, he’s either going to decorate the scoreboard or go cheap. Hopefully we will get him in the latter.” National squad:>Irving Romaine (capt), Stephen Outerbridge (vice captain), Dwayne Leverock, Lionel Cann, Azeem Pitcher, Kevin Hurdle, Jekon Edness, James Celestine, Maurice Lowe, Roderick Masters, George O’Brien, Arthur Pitcher, Ryan Steede, Greg Maybury.

[bul]Masters, Lowe, Azeem Pitcher and Maybury will return to Bermuda on August 21 to be replaced by Stefan Kelly, Malachi Jones, Rodney Trott and Christopher Douglas for the Dublin portion of the tour. It is anticipated that Kelly, Jones, Trott and Douglas will represent Bermuda in the ICC Under 19 World Cup qualifier in Toronto that finishes on August 18.