Forget Cup Match, forget East v West, the biggest game of the cricket season is taking place tomorrow at Bailey's Bay.

At least that's what Flatts skipper Kijuan Franks thinks.

Franks and his team take on cup holders St. David's in the second round of the Eastern Counties Cup at Sea Breeze Oval, and for Franks there is no game more important all year.

And the Flatts skipper has fired a pre-match warning at his opponents, branding them marked men who were about to be knocked off their pedestal.

"This is it, this is what you look forward to," he said. "In my world Eastern Counties is bigger than Cup Match to some people. To me it is bigger than Cup Match. The whole of the East side is involved in this spectacle. It's a big game.

"It's one-of-a-kind you know. It doesn't have the hustle and bustle of Cup Match and too much people, County has a nice vibe."

Franks is a Flatts man through and through. The all-rounder has been at the club since he could walk, and captaining his side in tomorrow's clash has only fuelled his desire to grab the trophy from the Islanders.

"I was brought up through Flatts, brought up in the Eastern County programme, playing in the junior counties game, then as a player and now as skipper. It means a lot to me."

After comfortably beating Cleveland in the first round, St. David's go into tomorrow's game as solid favourites to retain their title, and Franks wouldn't have it any other way.

"Being challengers, it's a good position to be in. It's not necessarily bad. I haven't got an X on my back. We're going to knock them off their pedestal you know.

"St. David's are favourites, but I would rather be in our position. Nobody knows what we are bringing. Everybody is just going to go with what they know. I don't mind being the underdog. I think they underestimate us sometimes."

The holders though have a team packed with match-winners, none more deadly than Lionel Cann, whose maiden Cup Match century two weeks ago clearly emphasised his ability to turn a game.

Franks knows that limiting Cann's chances to score freely and quickly will be essential if his side are to cause an upset.

"The key (to winning) will definitely be our bowling, and our bowlers hitting the right spot," he said. "Not giving St. David's loose stuff to hit, our bowlers will have to be very disciplined on the day. That will be the key, and the application at the wicket will also be key.

"We have had numerous discussions about this, and I've pulled aside my bowlers and talked to them about certain players, and this and that, and definitely on the day you have got to be disciplined."

What no-one knows, however, is how any given player will react to the pressure a game such as this can bring. Big crowds, a booming atmosphere, and the constant fear of failure all play a part. Franks and the Flatts' selectors have taken all this into account when picking a team they believe can take on, and beat St. David's.

"Some guys can't handle it, and some guys thrive on it, so you have to pick which player you want to be," said Franks. "Me, I love Eastern Counties. It's what I was brought up on, I can't imagine not playing in an Eastern Counties game."