Association (BFA) to deny the transfer of several players to the west end club.

Last week Bridge were informed that the proposed release and transfer of seven players had been turned down by the BFA transfer objection tribunal, headed by former president Gerard Bean.

And yesterday secretary of Somerset Bridge, Donna Smith, confirmed that her club would be contesting rulings handed down by the tribunal, which drastically affect the status of the seven players who were seeking to make the short journey from neighbours Somerset Trojans.

Among those denied a transfer on the basis that they had come up through the Trojans' youth system were Lamaul Crofton, Marco Butterfield, Sean Simmons, Jerome Coddrington, Akil Lambert, Arthur Tucker and Shannon Morrissey.

"We will be appealing some of those decisions on the basis that some policies have changed from year to year and they have not been consistent in it,'' said Smith.

"I know that Sean Simmons spent his first 10 years playing with Dandy Town and didn't come to Somerset until he was 15 or 16 years old, so we will definitely be appealing him.'' Failure in any such appeal would result in Bridge being forced to either pay fees of $2,500 per player or lose the individual to his original club, which in each instance would be Somerset.

However, the prospect of Bridge agreeing to pay such a high fee appears remote with the club's financial woes having been well documented.

Added Smith: "I don't think any club can really afford to pay ($2,500). It's a lot of money and the people that really suffer are the players.'' Bridge's hopes would look to rest on a precedent set a year ago when three Devonshire Colts players -- Leonard Hypolite, Antoine Lightbourne and Derek Wright -- were freely allowed to change clubs even though each had progressed through Colts' youth programme.

In total relegated Somerset were successful in having eight release requests turned down -- Najee Woods' move to Prospect was the other -- which put them in position to collect as much as $20,000 in compensation.

But with Bridge liable for $17,500 of that amount it seems more likely they will simply get to retain the players rather than reap any cash bonanza.

There has been little word on other transfers involving Diallo Sharrieff (to Hotels), Damon Ming (to Dandy Town) and Frank Brewster Jr. (to Hotels), with Town, Devonshire Colts and BAA each having been successful in their appeals against the respective moves by that trio.

A record 17 objections were lodged, led by 14 from Somerset, with 13 sustained and four turned down.