Cup Match 2003 was one for the record books - literally!

Records tumbled like wickets and cricket statisticians were constantly delving into the cobwebs of Cup Match history as both Somerset and St. George's batsmen shattered a plethora of long-standing landmarks during this year's mid-summer classic.

Yes, Somerset's well-oiled machinery rolled into the enemy territory of Wellington Oval and ably retained the cherished trophy yesterday on the basis of a draw but the 101st edition of Cup Match is more likely to be remembered for how many marks were erased and rewritten in just two days.

Perhaps the sight of the pitch - dyed bright green for the first time ever - should have hinted this would be an unforgettable game.

If that omen was overlooked, then Somerset's 483 for seven declared in 97 overs on the first day could not be.

It was the highest team total at the St. George's ground in the annals of Cup Match and included some feats of individual brilliance that launched Saleem Mukuddem and Jermaine Postlethwaite into the record books as colts, the former coming all the way from South Africa to shatter an elusive record.

For 23 years, Charlie Marshall - St. George's captain - had reigned as the top-scoring colt for his legendary 100 not out, achieved off the final delivery of the 1980 Cup Match. As he led his team in the field, the record-holder watched as the expatriate all-rounder surpassed him with a defiant 106 not out (14 fours, two sixes).

Postlethwaite, who opened for the Cup holders, squandered the chance to beat Mukuddem to this signal achievement. He compiled a majestic 84 (ten fours, three sixes) to now rank third among colt top-scorers.

“I didn't know I was approaching a record until we had a drinks break and Albert (Steede) came out and told me he was giving me until 5.30 p.m. (to get it). I just played my normal game.

“Now I'm so tired, physically exhausted but I've had a lot of fun. It's fantastic,” declared 31-year-old Mukuddem, swamped by fans and revelling in his accomplishment.

By sundown on Thursday it was a foregone conclusion the Cup was headed west again as Somerset's marathon innings stretched until 5.45 p.m. but proud St. George's - reeling on 32 for two overnight - determined on day two to give as good as they got.

Their response of 398 all out in 110.1 overs yesterday was anchored by a mammoth, record fourth-wicket stand of 212 between skipper Charlie Marshall and Clay Smith. Their heroics - spanning three hours and 56 minutes - eclipsed the 135 partnership by Colin Blades and John Tucker for Somerset in 1979. It was also the second-highest Cup Match stand of all time, just 17 runs adrift of the unbroken, sixth-wicket 229 by Rupert Scotland and Lee Raynor for St. George's in 1974.

En route, 32-year-old Smith and Marshall became the fifth and sixth batsmen respectively to celebrate two Cup Match centuries. Smith advanced to his hundred - thanks to an overthrown boundary - just before lunch while Marshall tickled a ball fine for a single in the afternoon session to reach three figures.

In the over prior to that, left-handed Marshall - playing in his last Cup Match - had blasted spinner Dwayne Leverock over mid-wicket for six to move his score to 93. In doing so, the 42-year-old veteran became only the second batsman to score a thousand Cup Match runs. Marshall, who was eventually caught behind off medium pacer Dennis Pilgrim for 134 (ten fours and ten sixes), joined Wendell Smith in the exclusive club, the latter boasting 1,143 runs to Marshall's 1,044.

Marshall's 134 was the seventh-best individual score in Cup Match while Smith, who fell for 124 (14 fours, three sixes) after gloving the new ball from Corey Hill to wicket-keeper Kwame Tucker, is now ninth on the same list.

St. George's innings folded relatively quickly after Smith and Marshall's departures, though Herbie Bascome's 41 gave some lower-order impetus. Hill was the pick of Somerset's bowlers with three wickets for 62 off 15 overs. Dwayne Leverock and Mukuddem took two scalps apiece.

Somerset's second innings of 141 for three in 24.3 overs had little significance but for two things.

Those runs contributed to a record Cup Match aggregate of 1,022 runs, beating the 889 runs (Somerset 529; St. George's 360) scored between the rival teams in 1974.

It also afforded opener, Sheridan (Baldy) Ming - one of the few Somerset batsmen to miss out on the first-innings run feast - the opportunity to savour his first Cup Match fifty.

Smacking St. George's colt Delyone Borden over square leg on the last ball off the match, Ming raised his arms in triumph as he moved from 49 to 55 not out.

In a game that may well now hold the record for the most records, Janeiro Tucker would have rued his shot for a unique piece of Cup Match glory.

Had the Somerset vice-captain managed another ten runs in the first-innings onslaught, he would have been the first batsman with three hundreds to his name in the classic. However, his blistering 90 (11 fours, six sixes) from only 54 balls in 92 minutes augurs well for the 28-year-old's future.

Two brilliant one-handed catches - one at first slip to send Borden packing and a caught-and-bowled offering from Chris Foggo - earned him the Safe Hands Award for the best fielder.

On that subject, one more matter of note was that Marshall - with a catch in either Somerset innings - moved to fifth on the Most Catches list with 19 to his illustrious name.