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Parfitt's scathing attack on Bermuda cricket

Bermuda bowling legend Clarence Parfitt has launched a scathing attack on Bermuda cricket.In a no-holds-barred attack the former Cup Match star, who coaches in Scotland, rips into players, officials and clubs in equal measure.Parfitt accuses the Island's bowlers of being rubbish, players of being selfish and suggests it is time to ditch the current generation and focus on the 17 and18-year-olds.The former Bermuda international is also disappointed at the attitude shown by some current players to national team representation.“Take the money away,” he said. “You've got to go back to where we were. Other countries are laughing at Bermuda in the sense that we have all this money going to the players but we are going backwards.“Are the players committed? Each player needs to sign a contract and stipulate on the contract the dos and don'ts. When I played for Bermuda I paid my own way, because we wanted to play for Bermuda. These boys have to ask the question of themselves, do they want to play for Bermuda or are they only in it for the money.“If they are only in it for the money then Bermuda is wasting their time. They should go back and start rebuilding with the 17 and 18 year olds. If they don't want to train, drop them and pick the ones who want to. Then you'll make a team.”Parfitt, who nearly became Bermuda head coach in 2005, was in Bermuda last week and was dismayed at the standard of cricket he saw in the Eastern County Cup match between Cleveland and Bailey's Bay.“One of the things I see that Bermuda needs is a bowling coach because the bowling is rubbish,” he said. “They (cricket officials) have to ask ‘what do we have to do to get back up?' That's the question they have to answer.”Parfitt said he would have liked to have been given the chance to coach his country, but thought the BCB were scared of appointing a local head coach.“(In 2005) they (the BCB) couldn't tell me how long the contract would be, what the money would be. I never got a reply but then I got an application sent to me two days before it closed which I looked at.“The next thing I heard was (Gus) Logie was coach. Are we scared of Bermudians getting a job like that?“I thought Bermuda was for Bermudians but it doesn't seem to be. They don't want Bermudians to do the job, that's what I see from the outside. I'm not going to lose any sleep over it.“I have always said that if an opportunity comes they have to want me. When I was willing to come and they said yes and then nothing materialized, what does that tell me? When you can't do it in your own country something is wrong.”Parfitt said that the main thing that struck him about the current generation was the lack of discipline and dedication to the game.“What I see is no discipline and the clubs are more at fault than anybody. The clubs have to realise that Bermuda comes first. We haven't learned that yet,” said Parfitt.“In Scotland guys are playing representative matches for Scotland on days of league matches. They go to play for Scotland because Scotland comes first. And they travel a lot more than they do here, they travel two or three hours just for training at 10 o'clock in the morning.“Guys here travel 15 minutes and can't make it, so where is the dedication? Ninety percent of it is application and discipline.”It isn't all doom and gloom though, according to Parfitt.“We have a special blend of cricketers in Bermuda,” he said. “They are talented, not disciplined and they only play when they want to play.“We've got to get the discipline and respect back and the love to play for Bermuda first. Not second, not third…first. It should be Bermuda, your club, yourself.”