Bailey’s Bay have made five changes to their Eastern Counties Cup team for the final against holders St David’s on Saturday, introducing three colts and recalling veteran batsmen Stephen Outerbridge and Coolidge Durham.

Set to make their first appearances in the counties are batsman Shakeal Outerbridge, seam bowler Macquille Walker and spin bowler Sharye Tavares. They replace last season’s three colts, Cameron Jeffers, Detroy Smith and Sancho Jackson, the latter named as a reserve this year.

The challengers, who could manage only 100 in a six-wicket loss to St David’s in last year’s final, have strengthened their batting with the return of Outerbridge, the club president and a former captain, and Durham who was a reserve last year. The two left-handers will strengthen the batting in the early order, which will also contain captani Terryn Fray and the in-form Tre Manders.

“It’s a very good team, the selectors came up with a team quicker than I thought,” said Irving Romaine, the Bay director of cricket and also a selector. “The majority of them had the same team.

“We have the three youngsters coming through, Sharye made a decision to leave [Somerset] Bridge, where he played his cricket, two years ago to play where his daddy played and he’s been rewarded.”

Tavares is the son of former Bay all-rounder Noel Gibbons, one of the top players of his era and a stalwart in the Eastern Counties and Cup Match.

Walker, who also has roots in Bailey’s Bay as part of the Walker family, who had Sinclair and Nolan Walker playing for the club, has also been rewarded for an outstanding season.

“I personally asked Macquille, who hadn’t played cricket for six years before he went away on a football scholarship, to play this year and he’s had a tremendous season,” Romaine added.

“He was reserve in Cup Match [for Somerset], been taking wickets and now a colt in the Eastern Counties.

“Shakeal has been a Bay boy his whole life, has had a pretty decent season with the bat and the selectors think he is worthy of playing, so he gets a chance to play in the Eastern Counties.”

Bay have a good blend of youth and experience with Outerbridge and Durham coming in to strengthen the team. “Stephen decided to play this year, he’s a big-day man and his experience will be good,” Romaine said.

“Coolie didn’t play last year, but he’s put in the work this year with Gus Logie, who spoke about him in his article the other day. Now it’s time to reap the rewards. He’s dedicated, the perfect team player.”

Bay have also included the experienced all-rounder Rodney Trott, who left Bay this season to play with St George’s in the league.

The other inclusion is batter Manders, of Western Stars, who had an outstanding weekend, scoring centuries for Southampton Rangers in the Western Counties Cup final against Willow Cuts (147) and then stroking 109 against Somerset in the Athene T20 Premier Division the next day.

Romaine hopes the team will have learnt important lessons from last year’s performance when they failed to threaten the champions at Sea Breeze Oval in the eagerly anticipated match.

“One thing I’ve learnt now after retiring from playing is all you can do is sit back and watch, it’s up to them,” he said.

“There’s nothing else we can do as coaches, it’s totally up to the players now. I really think they are up for it ad take the challenge on.

“Take the risks they have to take to win the game. It’s no sense sitting back and hoping. Go for it with guns blazing!”