THE impending departure of Bermuda cricket chief El James may be sooner than most had hoped.

Nobody would argue with the decision by the Board of Control's president to step down at the next annual general meeting following three arduous years at the helm.

But despite all his good work, perhaps the greatest fear now is that he didn't find time to groom a successor.

With a youth league in place, a national coach installed and a development programme beginning to bear fruit, the sport _ albeit not without problems _ seems pointed in the right direction. And were James to continue steering the ship, there's every possibility that those initiatives would continue to flourish.

Hopefully, they still will.

But the success of any sport depends heavily on strong leadership, and in the charismatic, persuasive James, cricket has been fortunate to have a leader who recognises the importance of good communication, understands the game and has been resourceful enough to tap into its potential.

He might be the first to admit that not all of his plans worked out and there were major disappointments such as the Roland Butcher saga and Bermuda's ultimate failure at last summer's ICC Trophy (had Bermuda qualified for the 2003 World Cup in South Africa, some believe James would have stood for another term).

Yet by and large, the game is in better shape than when the current executive took office.

Who steps into the PLP politician's shoes remains something of a worry.

Names such as Wendell Smith and Arnold Manders, two veteran players who have already given so much to the game, are among those who might come immediately to mind.

However, as James would tell them _ as if they weren't already acutely aware _ BCBC president is a time-consuming, frustrating and often thankless post which requires a commitment most working people simply can't make.

Ideally, `Big El' might be persuaded to carry on. If not, whoever steps up to the wicket has hopefully been watching his predecessor at work.

IT WAS interesting listening to Shaun Goater this week after he had been chosen by his adopted home, Manchester, to help launch ticket sales for next year's Commonwealth Games to be held in that city.

Excited by the fact that the Games fell in the soccer off-season and he'd get chance to watch other Bermudians on the international stage, the Man City striker called The Gazette asking for information on which sports Bermuda would be represented, in order that he could purchase advance tickets.

That in itself says much about the Island's most celebrated sportsman.

But hopefully there will be absolutely no need for Goater or his wife to buy tickets.

Given that Manchester chose a Bermudian to help them launch the Games, the very least Bermuda (either Government or the Olympic Association) could do is ensure that he's afforded accreditation as a roving ambassador throughout the two-week festival, enabling him to visit any venue, any event at any time.

A better advertisement for the Island, we couldn't imagine.

_ ADRIAN ROBSON