five members of Western Stars and six from other teams for this week's Cup Match.

And the rest of the squad is made up of players from three other teams -- namely Willow Cuts, Police, Southampton Rangers and Bailey's Bay. It could be evidence that the cream of the crop of elite players is consolidated among just a few of the 16 clubs in the league.

Batsman Andre Manders, who reckons this will be his last Cup Match, is one of the five Stars players chosen, the others being vice-captain Albert Steede, colt Treadwell Gibbons, Hasan Durham and Jeff Richardson. Willow Cuts have two in skipper Dexter Basden and Kevin Fubler, Bailey's Bay have colt Corey Hill and Roger Trott, Police have Roger Blades, Southampton have Janeiro Tucker.

Last year Somerset had one of their league team players representing them, colt Shannon Warner, who did not challenge for a place this time around.

The veteran Manders admitted that it was extraordinary to see Somerset lean entirely on outside help for the mid-summer classic, but he reckoned that Stars had supplied them with a reasonable number of players in previous years as well.

"This speaks well of the programme at Stars for sure, we've have had a lot of players in the Somerset team on previous occasions, I recall having as many as six in the two teams (in 1993) with those at Somerset,'' said Manders.

Commenting on the overall selection, Manders agreed with skipper Dexter Basden that it was a "well balanced team'' with two spinners, two medium pace bowlers and a fast bowler. "Richard Basden will probably be a big miss but with Treadie Gibbons, Albert Steede, Jeff Richardson, skipper Basden and myself available the batting should be sound enough.'' As for himself Manders said that he has had a "good innings'' as far as his time in Cup Match is concerned. "I strongly believe that this will probably be my last year. I have had 13 straight years of Cup Match, three as captain.

I have had an awfully good innings as far as appearances is concerned, and I feel that now is the time for me to move on and give way for some of the youngsters,'' he said.

Treadwell Gibbons