Somerset Cricket Club, hosts of the 2008 Cup Match, will introduce never before seen features to the spectacle this year, with free television and two-storey viewing plots surrounding the entire field being the main attractions.

On hand for the announcement yesterday was Somerset Cricket Club president Richard Scott, St. George's president Neil Paynter as well as Phillip Butterfield, CEO of the Bank of Bermuda who are the lead sponsors for the classic.

This year's game will see use of an electronic scoreboard as well as the construction of double-decker viewing plots encompassing the whole field.

Local television coverage will enable cricket fans to watch the match in its entirety, which has never been done before.

In previous years the viewing plots were placed on the northern and southern boundaries, limiting the premier viewing areas.

Kaissa Limited construct of the plots which, Scott stated, would turn the club into a "sports arena".

"It is indeed a pleasure to have the Bank of Bermuda as our lead sponsor yet again," said Scott. "In 2006 we embarked on taking Cup Match to the next level, and our committee tried to come up with ways on how to make the event better.

"With Cup Match being the premier event on the Island, it is only fitting we have Bermuda's premier bank on board, and we are very grateful to them.

"This year I am proud to announce that in addition to the unified plots the we had in 2006 on our grounds, and with the added value we have received from the bank, we will accomodate 44 additional plots, with the same unified plans to cover the whole circumference of the field.

"We as a team have brainstormed how to transform the club into a stadium arena setting for the 2008 classic.

"We are trying to accomodate as many spectators as possible to make the atmosphere more vibrant than ever.

"In addition to the additional seating, we will have free-to-air television, which will be provided by TNT video productions. For some years now we have had Cup Match aired for a specific time, and then of course the pay-per-view scenario. We thought, why not try to cover every aspect of the Island, and this is what we are trying to do."

St. George's president Paynter shared Scott's enthusiasm for the bank's involvement in the match.

"I am glad to see that the Bank of Bermuda is back on board this year, and congratulations to Somerset for this precedent," stated Paynter. "We at St. George's are looking forward to two exciting days of cricket.

"This is truly a Bermuda event, and I would like to invite young and old as well as tourists who may be here to come and enjoy the festivities."