Somerset lifted by Leverock return
Kamau Leverock has made a surprise return to the Island to take his place in Somerset’s Cup Match team after having ruled himself out only weeks ago.Pursuing a pro career and training with county team Sussex, the all-rounder was given the thumbs up by the English club to fly back to local shores and play his part in the summer classic.While Leverock retains his place, the West Enders have recalled two players and named two colts as they bid to wrest the trophy from St. George’s when they meet at Somerset Cricket Club later this week.As with St. George’s, Somerset named their team on Saturday night after the final trial which saw the President’s Select (229 all out) beat Vice-President’s Select (111) by 118 runs.Four spots had to be filled this year with Kevin Hurdle, Deunte Darrell, Dion Stovell and Joshua Gilbert all unavailable for various reasons, leaving selectors with a lot to think about heading into the trial.Chris Douglas, who has been on scintillating form of late for Willow Cuts, regained his place after a one-year hiatus, while Derrick Brangman cemented his spot after taking four wickets from his 12 overs of left arm spin.Youngsters Tre Manders and Greg Maybury will be making their debuts on home turf.Tre follows a long tradition of Manders’ in Cup Match, as father Andre and uncle Anthony both played for Somerset, while another uncle, Arnold Manders, represented St George’s.Somerset Cup Match skipper Jekon Edness, who is the cousin of colt Manders, believes the side selected has more than a fighting chance.“This year we feel it is a good idea to take a few spinners. Most wickets on the Island offer a bit of spin, so having two in our squad could make the difference as we need to get 20 wickets,” said Edness.“With the spinners and our three seamers we can compete with them and should be able to go out and get the win. I feel it doesn’t matter what is said on or before the match, it is all about the day and who performs.“In terms of bringing Derrick back into the fold, we felt that bowling left arm going away from the right hander will cause problems over the two days and could turn the match on its head.“He has played well for us before and this time around he gives us another bowling option as we need to change things around. He bowled exceptionally well in the trial match and adds another dimension to our attack.”Leverock will form a deadly pace trio with Maybury and Malachi Jones. Add in Cup Match record holder Janeiro Tucker and Somerset could pose their opponents some problems.With batting going up and down the order, Edness called the team a “very balanced one” that could finally end their heated rivals’ championship spell.“Kamau coming back is a huge boost for us and is an excellent talent. He is electric in the field and wants to be involved in any way possible so it is good to have him coming back.“He has picked up a yard of pace and is capable of being destructive with the bat as well, so overall he is a welcome bonus to us.“When you look at the team we picked it is a very balanced one. If we need to pick up the pace we can and if we lose a few quick wickets then we have the personnel to slow things down and get back on track.“The team can win the Cup back on home soil and we just need to focus on the task at hand come the day.”Saturday’s match saw President’s Select bat first and score 229, with Marcus Johnson (49 not out) and Janeiro Tucker (35) leading the way, while Brangman and Del Hollis grabbed four and three wickets respectively.In reply, the Vice-President’s Select were bowled out for 111 with Hollis (31) and Ricky Hoyt (21) top scoring for their side. Jacobi Robinson and Greg Maybury both took three wickets.