With the league season merely days away, I have not been impressed with what I have seen thus far from players and clubs. Sadly, our season is due to start this weekend and it would not surprise me if the start of the season is postponed.

For the sake of cricket and its spectators, what few there may be, it would be good if the start of the season is pushed back because players are not prepared properly and neither are the wickets.

As I write this column, the lack of hunger and passion for the game in Bermuda angers me. What is deemed as our national sport is being looked upon by players with total disrespect. There are so many players in this country with so much potential but they will never reach their true potential because of their lack of focus and work ethic. It is a shame.

I have not been around to all the clubs, but from what I see it is an island-wide thing, with the exception of three or four clubs. Clubs have to take some responsibility for our game in Bermuda and stop passing the blame on to the Bermuda Cricket Board.

The presidents and cricket chairmen at clubs need to have a heart to heart with their players and tell them either they commit themselves wholeheartedly or they will withdraw the club from the league. In five years’ time, I can see Bermuda having one league with maybe ten clubs because the clubs will get tired of financing dying programmes.

Why invest $10,000 or more in a cricket programme if players are going to waste time and money.

Now I see why some clubs around Bermuda are reluctant to even hire a full-time coach. Why should a club’s executive invest $5,000 on a coach if they know their players are not going to be committed week in and week out? It doesn’t make sense!

I have to admit that I am baffled, though, because in Crawley, England, where I just came from, cricket is being played almost every day. Over at Ifield Cricket Club, where Nyrobi Carmichael and Delray Rawlins play, they have three teams and most clubs in the area are the same; in some cases, four teams.

No doubt England is much larger than Bermuda, but that is not the point. It is the passion and the desire that the players over there have; the LOVE of the game that makes them want to go to training and improve. That is what is missing in Bermuda. The question is: how do we get it back? Or is it too late?

Grass roots is the answer to our cricket dilemma. I strongly believe that we need a five-year plan in place to get our cricket back on track — and it may take even longer than that. Having been on the outside looking in, the BCB has been doing some good work. Coaches have gone abroad to improve their certification, sponsors are on board, there is a coaching panel to improve the level of instruction at the clubs, our under-17s are being exposed to more cricket, and they have moved under-14 cricket to Saturdays.

Instead of playing 20 overs, they now play 35 overs, which should give batsmen and bowlers more time to develop their games. Awesome!

Now it is time for clubs to buck up and pull their weight. As I said earlier, the season is upon us and coaches need to set higher standards and expectations of themselves and their players.

This season the Premier Division, although competitive, will still be “divided” into two. The top four will be tight with Willow Cuts, Southampton Rangers, St David’s and Bailey’s Bay fighting it out for the league title, while St. George’s, Somerset and Cleveland battle for survival. It is hard to pick a title favourite, as I think Rangers and Cuts look favourites on paper, but St David’s know how to win and have the best bowling attack on the Island. Bay, on the other hand, are probably the most closely knit team and very well-balanced.

My pick for the league is Willow Cuts. Look for Cuts to finally get over that hurdle, as they have been close a few years now. With the additions of Chris Douglas and Shaquille Jones, they have gone from strength to strength. However, the key to them winning the league this year is not their batting, but their bowling.

One key player who will have a significant impact on their success is veteran spinner Kevin Fubler. Talk of him and Dexter Basden retiring must be put on hold if Cuts are to finally achieve their ultimate goal of a league title.

Quote of the week: The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavour – Vince Lombardi