The long wait is over for St George’s as Cup Match 2013 is here and we are ready to redeem ourselves after last year’s woeful performance.Somerset, the champions, have made no changes to a team that last year destroyed former champions St George’s in a day and a half.Challengers St George’s have made six changes, thus making it clear that there is no room for complacency in this team now or moving forward. If the weather acts accordingly, one thing for certain is that there will be a victory at Wellington Oval this Cup Match.While the players typically should be the key in executing their game plan, the wicket will also play a massive part.Somerset have boldly and arrogantly named an unchanged team, which shows that they have confidence in last year’s team.I have been around Cup Match in various capacities coach, player, spectator and this is the first time in my life I can recall a Cup Match team naming the exact same team as the previous year. However, they have what they figure is a winning team, so why change it. As the saying goes, “If it isn’t broken, then don’t fix it”.Could Somerset pay the price for their perceived arrogance? We shall see!Last year Somerset’s preparations were first class as they had a few trials and numerous training sessions. However, they have failed to have any trials this year except for the final trial. Has complacency kicked in?Somerset will attempt to do what no other Somerset team has done since 1981, and that is to be victorious at Wellington Oval. Do Somerset have what it takes to be victorious again, specifically at Wellington Oval? The St Georgian supporter says no.What will stop Somerset from winning this year’s Cup Match and hand St George’s the advantage? The wicket!This wicket is definitely a result wicket. I have been around and seen many Cup Match wickets and I can guarantee you the public that this year there will be a result weather permitting.Somerset have always had concerns about our wicket, which has resulted in them being on the losing end regularly at Wellington Oval. The fear factor of the wicket can be the 12th man for St Georges, as I have witnessed it on many occasions.Two years that stick out are 1997 and 2005. Somerset were completely undone by the wicket. The uneven bounce rattled their batsmen sending shock waves through their team, almost as if the next batsman didn’t want to come to the wicket. Somerset are strong on paper, but for years and years they have shown to be mentally weak when faced with adversity.I am not saying that the Cup Match wicket will be bad, but it will be prepared to suit our bowlers. Home field advantage is what I believe it is called.St George’s will have to be careful because, trust me, it will be difficult for both sides, but St Georges believe that we have the players who are willing to grind and be mentally tough when the time comes, unlike Somerset players who tend to come unstuck.St George’s have picked a well balanced team. Personally, I would have liked to have seen another specialist spinner, but the selectors are confident and so am I, that there is plenty of firepower in our arsenal to bowl Somerset out twice.St George’s have included two of the best young fast bowlers on the Island in Zeko Burgess and Lateef Trott.Zeko will shock the crowd with his raw pace, while Lateef bowls consistently straight making you constantly play. On the batting side St George’s have added the best two batsmen in their age bracket in Onias Bascome and Christian Burgess.Onias just last week blasted 148 against Somerset while Christian this week stroked 98 against Devonshire Recreation, thus showing why the selectors were right to pick him.This crop of young players sprinkled with a few senior players should bring some much needed enthusiasm and excitement to the game. The crowd will be in search of a result and a result they will get. The wicket will be a decent batting track, just that it will offer the bowlers lots of assistance. Therefore, whoever bats the best on it will win and with St George’s already having played on it more than once this season it gives us that home field advantage.So what are the keys to victory for both teams?Somerset are a team that thrives off energy. If they get one or two early wickets they are relentless. Look for Malachi Jones to get the ball rolling and the rest of their pace attack to thrive off of him and destroy what is a relatively an inexperienced St Gorge’s batting line-up. While on the batting side of things, Mr. Cup Match, Janeiro Tucker, returns to his favourite hunting ground and with a mere 80 odd runs to get to be the highest run-getter of all time you can bet your house on him coming big in at least one of the two innings.Somerset will need a big total in one of the innings and he is the man they are counting on.St George’s on the other hand have to simply get Chris Douglas, Steven Outerbridge and Janeiro Tucker out fairly cheaply and the rest will follow. These three guys are the backbone of Somerset’s batting line-up and St George’s must target them and apply loads of pressure immediately. They must also restrict Jones to one or two wickets as he has the potential to rip the heart and soul out of our batting line-up.Look for OJ Pitcher to steady the batting while Allen Douglas Jr and Lionel Cann light it up and entertain the crowd, but don’t count out the young guns Onias and Christian as they promise to show Bermuda why they belong on the big stage.The other main contributor to a St George’s victory is the toss. If St George’s wins the toss they will definitely???? Can’t give away all our secrets.Somerset on the other hand will want to field first, but at the same time they may not want to bat last on what surely will be a deteriorating wicket. Whoever wins the toss will have a big decision on their hands, one that could have a major impact on the outcome of the game.All in all, this Cup Match will be very entertaining, one that promises to keep the crowd engaged. But when it is all said and done there will be only one winner and that is St George’s.As the old-timers use to say, we lent it to Somerset for a year so that they can clean it and now it is time to return to its rightful owner. When the cup comes east it will stay in the east where it belongs.Quote of the week: Show class, have pride, and display character. If you do, winning takes care of itself Paul Bryant