Bermuda Cricket Board got the worst news possible this past week when the Bermuda Government announced that they had slashed their grant by 80 percent, from $1million to a meager $200,000. What does this mean for the future of Bermuda cricket, the Bermuda Cricket Board, and more importantly the youth of Bermuda?Restructuring is the only option the Bermuda Cricket Board has. All of the programmes put in place over the last four years are in jeopardy of no longer existing.When looking at it that way it is obvious that the money put into cricket after qualifying for the World Cup has been wasted! If you pump millions into the sport and then suddenly pull the plug, then there was no reason to award the funds in the first place. Yes, the plug has been pulled because that grant won’t cover anything when it comes to the coach, CEO, youth programmes, and tours, which all are a must if we are to continue to develop. Does this spell the end of coach David Moore to Bermuda cricket? What will happen to all of the youth teams and coaches that were being put in place for the betterment of Bermuda cricket? Will Bermuda Cricket Board have to relocate? So many questions that I know you the public will want answered and so do I. Maybe reaching the World Cup once is good enough for this country.How can the government after investing so much into cricket literally kill the sport? They have strangled cricket and basically boldly announced that cricket is a waste of time and we are no longer a priority. What doesn’t seem to be realised and understood is that this not only hurts the Bermuda Cricket Board, but this will have an impact on hundreds, no thousands of kids in Bermuda. Is this no longer our national sport? If it is then this sum is a disgrace and an embarrassment as to the pride we show towards our athletic programmes.To think it was only four years ago that we played in a World Cup, but because we haven’t had overnight success to reach there again we have been cut off from the waist down paralysing any chance of reaching that level anytime soon. What a shame in a time when we are looking to have a positive impact on our youth and give them goals and dreams to look forward to rather than sitting on the wall waiting for mischief to overtake them.As I am writing questions upon questions are racing in my head. One particular question is what will happen to football? Football has never even gotten close to reaching the level of qualifying for the World Cup, therefore Bermuda Football Association be wary because your turn will be next if that is the criteria behind funding.Could this drastic change of heart from the Government be linked to their perception of the lack of forward planning by the cricket board? If this is the case I am here to say that it is not lack of forward planning by the board but lack of implementing all that is needed to witness sustained growth in their programmes. I have said it over and over and I will continue to reiterate that the entire Cricket Board needs a facelift. There are people still there that are stuck in yesteryear who have the best interest of cricket at heart but who refuse to step out into the new millennium.Times have changed, cricket has changed, and it affects the smallest of things from scheduling of games, improved standards for wickets and accountability of everyone involved ... administrators, marketing managers, coaches, CEO, clubs and anyone else you can think of that has a role to play in our cricket. We need visionaries to take us to the next level, not just a well-known and respected coach because he can not do it all by himself. Let’s get rid of the same old same old and find a way to motivate ourselves to become a cricketing nation. It is not impossible!Here are a few comments from those who love and support cricket.Lorenzo Tucker (cricket analyst) “The enormous budget cut doesn’t make running cricket in Bermuda challenging but near impossible to sustain at the high level it should be conducted at. The development programmes, national academies, elite leagues, support staff, head coach and building location are all in jeopardy at a time where Bermuda cricket is at its crossroads and needs the support of the country.Duan Leverock (sports fan) “Being a mother of a young cricketer that everyone says has potential I think the direction government has taken is devastating. Sports in general teach dedication, discipline and commitment, all of which are essential to character building. The overall impact to the development of cricket will be negative.“With the enormous cut to the budget, there is little room to carry out some of the initiatives the BCB has for developing the grass roots programs to ensure future success. I feel the Premier is missing the point of the importance of sports to our country and it saddens me greatly. She has now started a backward spiral that cricket may not be able to come out of for many more years to come.”The following is an email I received and thought necessary to share. “I read the article by Josh Ball because I wanted to see what the budget was before it was cut. Good grief, that’s ridiculous! I am looking at this in terms of how it will affect the youth of Bermuda. Somehow the ball got dropped. From my perspective, it seems that less and less focus is being put on sports in Bermuda, at least where the youth are concerned.“It’s like we underestimate the value of what cricket is capable of, the positive impact it has on our island. For instance, look at all the gang violence in Bermuda now. How old are these guys?“How old are they when they get “recruited” into them? This is the age these guys should be recruited into playing cricket, doing something positive for themselves and their community, something that will boost their self esteem, give them positive attention and reinforcement, teach them discipline, give them something they can build on, possibly have a future in, help them develop into responsible, productive citizens. Cricket can change their focus, and give them something to work towards. A budget cut of that magnitude is a statement that cricket is worthless, and nothing could be further from the truth.”My feelings, personally, being a former national team captain/player I am having a hard time with this whole budget cut. It is easy to point the finger at Government, or the Cricket Board, but what about the players?Do we as players deserve some of the blame, the answer is yes. When we qualified years ago I saw some players’ mentality change. It went from hardworking, and professional to being nonchalant and laid back knowing that we had qualified for the World Cup. Instead of us as a country moving forward we stayed still and since which have fallen backwards.Now it will be interesting to see where our cricket goes. There will be limited opportunities with players having to commit to the programme with no benefits, playing just for the love of the game and the pride of their country. That will be interesting, but I want to leave the players and youth of Bermuda with these positive words.Growing up in Bermuda I always had dreams of playing World Cup and there was very little money involved, but I vowed that I would not let that stop me or should I say us from achieving our dreams.A friend of mine always used to say if only Government would support us and give us the funding that is needed to help us improve. My response was and still is that everybody loves winners, therefore if you want to be rewarded financially you will have to earn it the old fashioned way showing that you deserve it just like the team of 2005.The cricket fraternity must now come together to rebuild and find a way to give the youth of Bermuda a fair chance because the reality is with or without money the kids of Bermuda are depending on us to give them a bright future.