Cup Match ain?t what it used to be! At least not according to former all-rounder Lee Raynor.

The St. George?s star described the modern day classic as a ?two-day friendly?.

?I think the whole standard has dropped today, and not only from a cricket standpoint but from an administrative standpoint as well,? said Raynor.

?Today a player can hit a few balls in the trees and then you hear he?s ready for Cup Match. But I recall one year when Kenny Cann made century after century but still could not make Somerset?s team . . . he couldn?t just walk into that team. Anybody who made a Cup Match team did so on merit back then.

?I haven?t seen a bowler around today that can explode. And in order to explode over the stumps you must be in good physical shape. So, really all we have today is friends and mates having a get together out in the middle over the course of two days.

?Today we have a second class standard of play with everyone in the same boat. You are not looking at anything exceptional . . . what you are witnessing is regular cricket. During my time we had players of a high calibre.?

Given Raynor?s impressive record in the summer classic, he?s more than entitled to his opinion.

Not only did the former East End player open the bowling between 1962 and 1977, he also enjoyed the distinction of opening the batting.

Raynor, who played with the likes of Alfred (Fleas) Hall, Rupert Scotland, Eldon Raynor, Calvin (Bummy) Symonds and Lloyd James, ended his Cup Match career with a record of 35 wickets and 515 runs.

In 1974 he and Scotland produced an unbroken sixth-wicket partnership worth 229 that remains unbeaten to this day. Raynor finished with an even 100 not out while Scotland was undefeated on 120.

However, many best remember Raynor for his electrifying pace.

?During my time Cup Match was war and I was always ready for action and had the willpower and determination to succeed,? Raynor told .

?It?s very important to have fast bowlers in your team. You must have that element of fear. But sadly today there?s really no fear and so a number ten batsman would be very excited to open the innings.?

In 1982 Raynor surpassed the 1,500 run mark in the Western Counties Cup competition after scoring 41 against Willow Cuts at White Hill Field.

The former St.George?s and Southampton star believes limited overs cricket has led to a decline in overall standards.

?It started many years ago when overs cricket was first introduced to Bermuda,? he argued. ?This was the beginning of the downfall in our cricket. What you see today is fly by day cricket. A player hits a few sixes and everyone comments how great he is. Open cricket helped develop more well rounded players who knew how to adapt, when and when not to attack. But what you see today is everything in the air and then when we play against top teams we struggle.?

Opening the batting for St.George?s with Neville Darrell proved to be one of Raynor?s most memorable Cup Match experiences.

?We had won the toss and Bummy (Symonds) told me to open the batting. I didn?t think I would get the chance but my skipper, who I had a lot of respect for, gave me a lot of confidence because of the potential he saw in me as a batsman. So instead of being intimidated I was excited and Bummy was like a father figure to me back then,? Raynor recalled.

Now decades on, St.George?s have pinned their hopes on fast bowlers Stefan Kelly and George O?Brien jr to dethrone champions Somerset.

?First of all I must congratulate both players for making the team. And as fast bowlers, once referred to as the donkeys of the team, they have a lot of responsibility. They are the ones who the skipper depends on to make things happen. So they have a lot on their shoulders,? said Raynor.

?But I encourage them to relax and just go ahead and do their thing . . . continue on doing what it was that got them into Cup Match in the first place. As you know St.George?s is my team and so I am banking on them to win this year.?