Dear Sir,

Wikipedia, the free online encyclopaedia defines and describes the role of opening batsmen in the game of cricket as follows: "The opening batsmen or "openers" are the batsmen who bat first in the innings. This position is important as the openers need to get the innings off to a good start. The early fall of wickets can have a psychological impact on the rest of the team, affecting their performance with the bat.

"The opening batsmen also get the first experience of the pitch and conditions and must be able to adjust to them quickly. Most importantly, the opening batsmen must face a new ball, which is hard and has a pronounced seam. This makes it more liable to travel fast, bounce high, seam around (i.e. bounce unpredictably off the seam) and swing (i.e. deviate sideways when travelling through the air).

"These early conditions favour the bowling team, so the opening batsmen must have a sound technique and be good defensively. As the ball gets older, its condition starts to favour the batting team. Therefore, the openers will ideally stay at the crease long enough to protect the batsmen further down the order."

It goes without saying that a pair of consistent, reliable openers have been missing from Bermuda's national squad for far too long.

"I hate to admit this but I believe the last pair of dependable openers who consistently gave Bermuda good starts were Gladstone (Sad) Brown and Winston Reid and they left the game in the 1980s!

There have been a few talented individual openers since that time who have represented the Island players such as Ricky Hill, Dexter Smith and Albert Steede but I do not believe we have had a pair to match Brown and Reid.

It would be fantastic if we could find and properly prepare a pair of openers who would give the team a good start once again. As I said in my last letter the partnership of David Hemp and Fiqre Crockwell looked promising but for some inexplicable reason that was dismantled, with Hemp going down the order.

A number of openers at club level have got off to a good start this season and may be well worth taking a look at. Two who readily come to mind are Jason Anderson and Steven Douglas Jr.

Our new national coach David Moore has already mentioned pushing for two things which I find very encouraging, the first being the need for the BCB to bring on board a fitness coach and second the need for more regular international matches for the senior team. I believe him to be correct on both counts.

I called for the Board to enlist the services of a fitness coach years ago, going so far as to suggest Mr. Gerry Swan, a former cricketer and footballer who as an ex-track and field coach is more qualified than anyone I can think of to fill the position.

Moore's desire for more international matches mirrors the request made some time back by the former South African batsman Daryl Cullinan, who had a short stint with the team and stated he felt he could take the team where it needed to go provided they had a steady diet of international games.

I, for one, will be watching closely to see if he gets his wish.

RECMAN

Dear Sir,

This year before the "'greatest Running Race' in the world was run on the 24th of May, one of the organisers said they were looking at the possibility of opening this race to international runners and wanted feedback.

Hello public, the organizers have allowed international runners to compete here through special permission. Those runners allowed hadn't stayed here continuously for six months before the race. But to do it with many runners at one time, a Big Fat No.

Outside of a 'Big Fat No' , there is more I'd like to say. Why when it is already the Greatest Running Race in the world? Better for whom? Who wants the prestige? Is it to make the race better?

Now some reasons why to not allow international runners compete.

I'd bet the vast majority of we residents love it the way it is. How much greater can it be? Highly unlikely it would be done without shoving the many resident runners to the background of the newspapers, the TV productions, the radio commentary, the advertising, the sponsorship.

Who's going to pay for the foreign runners' drug testing? Of course, the resident runner through increased entry fees or sponsors' money that could have been spent on charity. Then there is the additional prize money for the elite imported runners, thus even less for locals prizes.

Do you know who has made this 24th May Race the Greatest Race in the world? We did, Bermuda did, sure the organisers set it up, but the runners and spectators are the major reason for its present greatness. We took the call to come out for over 100 years.

The race was great with only 100 competitors and the thousands of spectators along the route. It has grown to one thousand in 2009 and 760 odd in 2010.

Still some great numbers. Thanks to the organisers for hyping up a race that sells itself.

Does the Half-Marathon Derby committee want their May race to compete with the Bermuda International Race Weekend Committee's January race? It seems like it. One reason for the January race was to increase tourism. Do they want to take away tourists from January, our slow season? Just to have some of the runners in May. No! Let's help the January economy. The January runners do not come by cruise ship, and those air travellers usually spend more, which is better for January and Bermuda.

If the Derby sponsors have more money, hope they'd put it in the January race or the many in the year.

The fourth Monday in May is the American Memorial Day holiday. Maybe the Derby organisers should have a race just for them on that Monday and invite some Onions to take part. Leave the Derby as is!

n My condolences go out to Mr. Ludwig Cann's family, including his running family of Bermuda and the world. He showed inspiration and enthusiasm as a competitor and volunteer. I could never forget some of his sprints in some races. May God be with his family?

Thank you, Mr. Editor

ROGER LAMBERT,

Roger and out