Chairman of St.George?s Cup Match selectors Lewis Foggo yesterday defended his committee?s decision to axe OJ Pitcher and Glenn Blakeney from this year?s summer classic.

Despite being a part of Bermuda?s successful ICC Trophy squad in Ireland, Pitcher was left out of the challengers? team for this week?s match at Wellington Oval along with the explosive bat of Blakeney.

?We did not take anything away from OJ based on the fact he is a good player. But you can only pick eleven players. So basically we picked the eleven players we felt would serve our cause to the best this year. We also took into account his record throughout the season and then based our decision on that,? Foggo explained.

The two players were among four dropped from last year?s team, the others being Travis Smith and Eugene (Calabash) Foggo.

Coming in are three colts, club player Troy Hall and St.David?s fast bowlers Stefan Kelly and George O?Brien Jr, while Ryan Steede has earned a second recall.

?Glenn is a player who on any given day can do a job for you,? Foggo pointed out. ?He is a great batsman but we decided to go with a new plan that will bring us success this time around.?

That plan, Foggo revealed, hinged upon a six-pronged seam attack ? and a specially prepared batting strip at Wellington Oval.

?We have asked our groundsman (Clayton Raynor) to prepare a wicket conducive to the bowlers we picked,? he explained.

Then there?s another aspect . . . the Kelly factor.

?We have prepared a wicket that meets the criteria of Stefan who we consider to be a long-term investment for St.George?s. And the wicket we are preparing will actually suit all of our seam bowlers,? added Foggo.

The challengers have also pinned their hopes for dismissing Somerset twice on the likes of former skipper Gregg Foggo, present skipper Herbie Bascome, O?Brien, along with ICC Trophy campaigners Lionel Cann, Delyone Borden and the towering Steede.

Borden alone will tend to the spin bowling duties.

?Delyone?s reputation as a player speaks for itself and yes we are confident he will be able to handle any task he is given. And again we have prepared a bowler?s wicket,? Foggo added.

And, according to the St.George?s executive, any concerns over the health status of Bermuda skipper Clay Smith and Steede were erased during last Saturday?s final trial match at Wellington Oval.

The injury prone Smith is recovering from a hamstring pull while Steede had been bothered by a strained calf muscle.

?We did not see any sign of injuries. Our physiotherapist (Cal Dill) had a good look at them and worked with them and they both looked good on the field,? Foggo insisted.

As for the selection of club player Hall, Foggo commented: ?Troy has been putting in a lot of work over the last few years for us. He hasn?t been making any centuries but he has been consistent with the bat and we figured the time was good as any to reward him for his efforts.?

And now that the team has been selected, Foggo argues St.George?s have the firepower in their arsenal capable of dethroning champions Somerset on Friday afternoon.

?I am very confident we have picked a team capable of bowling Somerset out twice and the batsmen capable of pulling down any score we have to get to win the match,? he declared. ?I know we have to bowl Somerset out twice . . . and I am confident we have picked the bowlers to do it.

?It?s unfortunate that Glenn or OJ are not playing. Twenty-two players played in the last trial match but only eleven can be picked. We don?t live in a perfect world and so we will never get perfection.

?But overall we are pleased with the team that we have and we are hoping that guys like OJ and Glenn and all other players interested in playing for St.George?s will still come out and back the team.?