St. George's captain, Wendell Smith, had something to get off his chest and he wasn't going to mince his words.

After coming forward to receive the Camel Cup MVP award from cricket commentator and MP C.V. (Jim) Woolridge on the waterfront lawn of Waterville in Paget, the record-breaking batsman caused a few of the guests to blush when he hit back at comments made by former Cup Match captains Dennis Wainwright and Randy Horton in regards to his slow batting on the first day of Cup Match last week.

"I'm going to answer a couple of people in particular,'' Smith told the invited guests as he pulled a piece of paper from his pocket.

He was referring to Wainwright and Horton, one who had something to say about the way he batted during a taped interview for News and Views which was shown on Monday night, and the other who launched into him for the same thing during live radio coverage of Cup Match.

"A few knocks I got I did take exception to, one was from a person I respect a lot, Dennis Wainwright,'' Smith said of his former St. George's teammate.

"I heard him come on earlier and he said that it appeared the Smith brothers were playing for their personal achievements and putting that before the game and that they should been looking to push the game along.

"Well I did a little research and I realised that Dennis himself was a skipper back in 1974 and if you recall he was skipper of St. George's and the St. George's innings lasted so long that St. George's compiled 360. Somerset were so upset about the fact that they were sunned so long they went back the next day and scored over 520. There was not even a second innings.

"So as a skipper I don't think he tended to push for a result himself on that occasion.

"It so happened that two people in that game, Rupert Scotland and Lee Raynor, both had a chance for a century and he (Wainwright) elected to allow them to reach that milestone.'' Smith also targeted Horton, referring back to 1970 when he failed to capitalise after having St. George's in deep trouble.

"The other thing I realise is that journalists have a lot of power and a lot of sway in the community and I can realise that Randy Horton probably lambasted me on the mike for not pushing the game along,'' Smith told the gathering.

"I can accept that -- I'll be honest -- but I hear Randy talking all the time about 1979 and what he did in achieving a win. Perhaps he felt it was selfish of me to achieve with the bat, but you don't hear Randy talking about 1970 when he was skipper himself and held the ball and could have achieved a result himself and didn't because he didn't give the ball to other people and it ended up where the St. George's last pair (Scotland and Clarence Parfitt) put on over 100.

"I see a few people smiling but if I'm going to take shots I'm going to give them back out. Anyway I'd just like to say that Cup Match is every youngster's dream and if a person is a batsman it's their dream to score a century. I'm feeling a bit guilty after scoring a century but I felt it was there for the taking and I did in fact try to achieve a result in Cup Match.'' Smith, who said he only started looking for his century after passing 50, insists that he had no vision of reaching Lloyd James' record this year, especially being 184 runs behind him going into Cup Match.

He has already admitted, though, that he and his brother Clay were scoring slow, but "only looking to consolidate the innings'' after losing Arnold Manders early. They were also up against some good stock bowling by Somerset, he said.

When he declared, Smith was still a way behind the team total he had been aiming for in the hopes of enforcing the follow-on.

"My intention, to be honest, was to score 300,'' he revealed. "It should have been quicker, and then have Somerset score less than 200 and have them follow on and then win in that manner.

"I've come to realise in cricket that there will be times when you can't always please everyone, which comes to mind another story I'll tell you.

"A match against Nationals this year before we went to England I was out for about six or seven and a lady came by the ground and said `and he's supposed to be Bermuda's captain and he's only scored six or seven runs'.

"The funny thing is a few games earlier I scored 156 (against Police) and the same person said `why don't he give up his bat'. So you see my point, if you don't do well you catch some flak and if you do well you catch flak.'' Smith wonders what would have happened had another of his teammates been chasing Lloyd James' record.

"Perhaps a few people should have put themselves in this situation,'' he said. "Had that been Noel Gibbons or Clevie Wade that were close to achieving a milestone, passing Lloyd James' record, and I was the skipper and didn't allow them to pass that milestone what would they have said about me in that incident? "I'm in the unfortunate position in that I was skipper and in the position and went for it. If people feel I'm selfish I'm sorry. But I do have cricket at heart first and those of you who know me know I do love the game.'' Scotland and Raynor put on a record 229 in an unbroken sixth wicket stand in 1974 as both went on to score centuries, Scotland 120 and Raynor 100. That partnerships remains the biggest stand in Cup Match history.

WENDELL SMITH -- Took a swipe at his critics during the Cup Match MVP awards on Tuesday night.