in Cup Match 30 years ago.

Of course there was the appearance at Lord's, the headquarters of cricket, in 1990 for his adopted country, Scotland, at the age of 46.

But appearing at Lord's in St. David's in his final match in Bermuda on September 23 must surely have the butterflies fluttering in Clarence Parfitt's stomach as the curtain comes down on a career spanning more than 30 years.

A new talent emerged the year -- 1965 -- he celebrated his debut in Cup Match with 15 wickets, taking eight for 23 in one innings and seven for 20 in the other. Those are performances that still rank as some of the best all-time in the Classic and by the time he played his final match in 1981 he had chalked up a record 115 wickets.

If that first Cup Match was Parfitt's coming out then September 23 will close the book on what has been an illustrious career. It will probably be his final appearance as a player in Bermuda.

He has already booked his airline ticket for his first trip back home in five and a half years, flying in on September 15 and leaving on the 29th.

"I'm looking forward to meeting all my old friends,'' said an enthusiastic Parfitt when contacted at his home in Arbroath last night, minutes after returning from watching the Scottish Open while is going on about six miles away.

Golf occupies much of his leisure time these days, and he is working on lowering his 14 handicap.

The talent given him in cricket will also be worked on in the coming weeks as he gets in shape for the big match which will feature the island's top players from his time.

Though he officially retired at the end of the 1993 season, Parfitt did turn out for his North Districts team a couple of weeks ago, filling in when one of the players didn't show. Figures of one for 30 from 10 overs weren't flattering by his standards but he seemed satisfied with the effort considering it was his first time bowling in two years.

Parfitt turns 51 tomorrow and these days he lends his vast cricket knowledge to the Scottish set-up as a selector for the Scottish Cricket Union, coach and team mamager for the North District and coaching one night a week with a village team called Fruchie Cricket Club which was champions of the British Village Championships about 10 years ago. He works full time as a sports supervisor of young people with disabilities for the Dundee District Council.

Scotland are involved in the NatWest and Benson and Hedges competitions and he went down to England recently with the team, to Nottinghamshire for a NatWest match and to Northamptonshire for a Benson and Hedges clash.

"I was with the team when they played the West Indies recently,'' he said proudly.

Scotland will soon be playing Denmark and Holland in a triangular tournament and he will likely be one of the five selectors when the national team is picked for the ICC Trophy in Malaysia in 1997.

"Scotland would beat Bermuda,'' Parfitt says. "They are playing Denmark and Holland in two weeks time and I think they will beat them.'' Even the Scotland youth team which is taking part in the International Youth Tournament along with Bermuda in Holland starting tomorrow contains three players whom he used to coach in Arbroath.

Parfitt has made a significant contribution to the Scottish game in the 11 years he has been there, though he has often made it clear he would like to bring that experience home to help the Bermuda game. He hinted at that a couple of years ago and still appears keen on returning home permanently, even though he admits to have settled into the Scottish way of life.

"It's not that bad now, I wear short sleeze shirts now like everybody else,'' he says.

Still, there are things he misses about Bermuda. "I miss my family, friends and the sunshine. My mom and sisters let me know what's happening.'' As for whether he would still be interested in a coaching post here, Parfitt's reply was blunt: "It's not up to me.'' It's no secret that he hasn't often seen eye to eye with certain Bermuda Cricket Board of Control members.

"People can't forget,'' he says with sadness.

When The West Indies were in town Parfitt met Jimmy Adams, who has been rumoured also to be coming to Bermuda in September while he also had a chat with coach and manager of the West Indies team, Andy Roberts and Wes Hall.

"I spoke to Andy Roberts and Wes Hall and they're not happy with Bermuda cricket, they think it's going backwards,'' said Parfitt.

If only for a day Bermuda's cricket fraternity will be happy to turn back the clock, as some of the best players of the sixties, seventies and eighties turn out for the special occasion.

Maybe the current crop of players will take note.

"I'm looking forward to teaching the youngsters a thing or two,'' said Parfitt.

CLARENCE PARFITT -- In his last Cup Match appearance in 1981.