Bermuda Under-19 national cricket coach Andre (Doc) Manders isn?t in the least surprised to see five of his young cricketers taking part in this week?s Cup Match at Somerset.

Manders, himself a former Somerset Cup Match skipper, has long identified the potential of St.George?s batsman Oronde Bascome, Southampton Rangers all-rounder Malachi Jones and Bailey?s Bay off spinner Rodney Trott ? all colts in this year?s classic.

All three players returned home from Barbados last week after representing the Island?s Under-19s at the Sir Gary Sobers Tournament, and were chosen to play in this week?s big game.

Both Bascome and Trott were selected to play for champions St.George?s, while Jones was added to Somerset?s team as a last-minute replacement for injured fast bowler Kevin Hurdle.

?I?m not really surprised to see that Oronde (Bascome), Malachi (Jones) and Rodney (Trott) have made Cup Match . . . . it?s just good to see the guys put in the necessary hard work and receive reward for their efforts,? Manders told .

?I am just proud of all of them for making it. We identified these guy?s talent years ago when they were at the Under-13 level, especially players like Oronde, Malachi and Rodney. In the last couple of years Malachi has come on in leaps and bounds and now with his height he is beginning to develop into a good pace bowler. Everybody keeps saying ?I didn?t know that guy (Jones) bowled that quick?, and he bowled extremely well in Barbados.

?But overall it feels great and Herbie (Under-19 assistant coach Herbie Bascome) and I were just talking last night about how far these guys have progressed over the years. We knew when they returned to Bermuda (from the Sir Gary Sobers Tournament) they would be ready because of the amount of cricket they had played down there (in Barbados).?

For added measure, Bermuda Under-19 off spinner Tre Govia and seamer Kyle Hodsoll (St.George?s), and all-rounder Jordan DeSilva (Somerset) were all chosen as reserves for this week?s classic in the West End.

And Manders reckons there?s more to come in the very near future.

?I can assure you there will be a couple more Under-19 players going into Cup Match in the near future,? he said. ?It?s good to see Tre (Govia) and Kyle (Hodsoll) chosen as reserves this year, but I can see other players such as Chris Douglas (Warwick) and Maurico Bassett (Somerset) also knocking on the door to Cup Match very soon.?

Manders, who bowed out of Cup Match in 2000, was also delighted to see his nephew, Jekon Edness, chosen as a colt for challengers Somerset.

Edness comes in as a replacement for injured ?keeper Kwame Tucker who pulled a hamstring representing Bermuda last month at the Stanford 20/20 Tournament in Antigua.

?It?s about time a Manders got back in Cup Match,? Manders smiled.

Edness? father, Anthony, who also kept behind the stumps for Somerset in Cup Match, and uncles Andre and Arnold ? current chairman of national team selectors ? all played in the 1993 Cup Match at Wellington Oval on opposing teams.

Andre, who captained Somerset from 1992 to 1994, and brother Anthony both represented the West Enders, while Arnold ? who also captained Bermuda at the national level ? represented St.George?s.

Arnold, one of only a handful of batsman to score two centuries in Cup Match, is the only local cricketer to have been recalled on five different occasions after being dropped at St.George?s.

?He (Edness) came to me for some advice,? Manders said. ?And I spoke with him and gave him a few pointers and warned him about some of the things to expect from the opposition.

?But it?s certainly good to finally see another Manders back in Cup Match.?