Junior Eastern and Western Counties cricketers have a unique incentive to try and win their respective championships - a coaching session with West Indies captain Brian Lara.

The world's top-rated batsman is due in Bermuda on August 28 as a guest of the Eastern Counties Cricket Association as part of celebrations to mark the 100th Eastern Counties match.

That fixture - the Eastern Counties finale for this season - takes place at Lord's on August 30 and will feature St. David's against either current champions Bailey's Bay or Flatts - the latter teams clash tomorrow to determine who advances to the last round.

Lara, who holds the Test batting record of 375 and the highest first-class score of 501, will attend that game and, on the following morning (August 31) will hold a junior clinic at the National Sports Centre (NSC).

That afternoon he will compete in a 50-overs-a-side match featuring an Eastern Counties Select against a combined Western/Central Counties team.

The 34-year-old star will be joined on the Eastern Counties squad by fellow West Indies players (vice-captain) Ramnaresh Sarwan, Mervyn Dillon, Fidel Edwards and possibly one other guest player from the Caribbean.

Eastern Counties Event Coordinator Thalia Lightbourne expressed delight at having reached agreement with Lara and company, all of whom are also scheduled to attend a formal Eastern Counties banquet at the Hamilton Princess on August 29.

Regarding the stellar left-hander's coaching session, she explained that since “we can't accommodate all the kids we're going with the winning junior teams from East and West”.

Lightbourne said Lara's trip was the culmination of long-standing efforts to get the Trinidadian to these shores.

“Brian Lara called me a couple weeks ago because I had been calling down to the West Indies talking to some of their other players and cricket organisers, finding out how we could marry them coming to Bermuda with Eastern Counties' celebrations.

“That's how it was initiated and it's worked out quite well. I am thoroughly excited about being able to get him here,” said Lightbourne.

Eastern Counties president Harold Millett echoed her sentiments, saying it promised to be a great and memorable weekend with one of cricket's most prominent personalities.

If all goes well, the double world record-holder could be coming to the Island more often in the future. Plans are afoot to try and contract Lara for junior clinics here for the next five years.

“He has said for the next two years at least but we're trying to lock him into a five-year plan,” outlined Lightbourne.

The Eastern Counties hierarchy are also exploring possibilities of collaboration between themselves and cricket authorities in Trinidad which could result in Bermudian teams touring that country.