This year’s Cup Match Classic at Wellington Oval will be mark the last time Somerset’s coach Jeff Richardson travels to the East End in such capacity.

The chief architect of the West End institution’s rise to unrivalled supremacy at the midsummer spectacle revealed that he will retire at home next year.

Richardson had been rumoured to have submitted retirement papers following last year’s game and been asked to stay on for at least another year.

”Last year no one heard it from my mouth,” Richardson said. “It slipped out, but no one ever heard me say it.

“I was hoping that certain things would be in place so that I could, but that wasn’t the case.”

The “thing” that fell into place before this season was “Mr Cup Match” Janeiro Tucker, who left Southampton Rangers at the end of the 2022 season and headed farther west to the place that enabled his own rise to Cup Match fame, taking on a permanent assistant coach position on Richardson’s staff.

“During the off-season certain things transpired and we were able to get Janeiro Tucker in Somerset, so now I can go and retire gracefully in Somerset,” added Richardson, who played five times in Cup Match.

“I just couldn’t walk out on the team last year without having put in place for us to continue doing what we’ve been doing.

“With Janeiro here, this year he’s been at my side as my assistant coach. Next year he will take more of a leading role, so that he can become accustomed to all of the protocols and formalities and I can go quietly into the sunset.”

Richardson has never lost Cup Match in the 12 years he has guided the club’s flagship unit and few would bet against him retiring undefeated in his position following this year’s peerless performance.

Success is not built alone, and backing the coach for a significant portion of his incumbency has been cricket chairman Michael Corday, who like Richardson gained initial notoriety for his football exploits.

Corday offered high praise for Richardson and what he has brought to Somerset since committing to the club after a lifelong playing career for Western Stars, together with appearances for Bermuda and Somerset’s Cup Match team during the 1990s.

“Jeff’s been magnificent at Somerset ,” said Corday. “We put a plan into place and it’s gone from strength to strength.

“Jeff’s the guy that’s really built this team to where they are and I think that he wanted a succession plan and we have that in place now with Janeiro, but I don’t think Jeff’s going to completely disappear. He will hang around and consult and assist.

“Jeff has put in a lot of work, time and effort and I think he’s ready to pass this on but we’ve been really, really happy with Jeff.”

A story authored by fellow Cup Match legend Wendell Smith and published in The Royal Gazette offered an intriguing take on Richardson’s methodology.

“At Somerset Cricket Club I noticed a most interesting strategy unfolding regularly,” wrote Smith in 2019.

“Depending on who the next St George’s batsman was, Somerset would change their bowling attack and put on a particular bowler.

“This tactic demonstrated two key factors:

• The players must be unselfish enough to realise that the team goal comes before anyone’s ego

• Planning had transpired to work out particular batsmen

“Behind the scenes, pulling the strings was a diligent worker, clever tactician, and one who loves the game. He coaches with principle and is not afraid to make tough decisions.

“When his coaching days are done, he will be able to look back on a job well done. He is respected by his players and must surely be appreciated by his club’s supporters.”

This year’s approach and consequent result matched Smith’s analysis, a scenario typical of those achieved by Richardson in recent memory, with the past four years featuring Richardson’s squad threatened little, evidenced by two ten-wicket victories and an innings triumph.