The growth of cricket in Bermuda is being stunted by the lack of a youth league, and this chronic problem facing the sport can only be resolved by the Bermuda Cricket Board of Control and the clubs, a top administrator said yesterday.

Reginald Pearman, vice president of the BCBC and secretary of Somerset Cricket Club, was responding to questions asked yesterday by The Royal Gazette after former player St. Clair (Brinky) Tucker last week put the blame on the board for the demise of cricket at the youth level. Board president Ed Bailey responded by laying the blame on the clubs.

Pearman, in his capacity of administrator at both club and board level, is in the position to offer objective views in support of both sides. Yesterday he came out in support of Bailey and blamed the clubs for the absence of a youth programme and reserve league.

"The clubs are at fault, us here at Somerset included,'' said Pearman. "At the start of the season the board sent out invitations to clubs asking them about what teams they planned to have etc., and when the time comes to implement these leagues after having schedules sent out, the clubs suddenly don't have the players.

"It's definitely a serious matter, but it is something that the board and the clubs have got to seriously look into.'' But he later conceded that many of today's teenagers were more attracted to soccer and just were not as keen to get involved in cricket.

Tucker, however, laid the blame solely on the head of the governing body, claiming that they owed the public an "apology'' for operating with just one league -- Premier Division -- and pointed out that junior cricket had suffered for three years since the decision of Shell to withdraw its sponsorship from cricket.

"Without these other leagues the young people are being deprived of the proper development process,'' said Tucker.

In addition to having to deal with problems on a national basis in his position on the board, Pearman has more pressing problems at Somerset where the west enders -- one of Bermuda's top cricket clubs -- continues to see interest dwindling within its Premier Division side.

Last Sunday they started with only nine men in their Knockout quarter-final against Devonshire Rec and ended up with just eight after one player departed during a long rain delay.

Somerset have experienced similar waning support in the past after the passing of Cup Match and the matter is causing them concern. One of their brightest youngsters, Davon Wade, has been absent from the team since the final Cup Match trial.

When asked about a major club like his being unable to get decent support, especially from the younger players, Pearman gave his personal views.

"It's a question of numbers, we don't have sufficient numbers,'' he said.

"The young kids that we have playing soccer, none of them are interested in playing cricket...hence they do not want to play cricket in the off season after they have played football.

"Some of them are prepared to play football all year around. If they cannot play football all year around they would rather do something else than play cricket...they are just not interested in cricket.'' This suggested that the future did not look too bright for cricket as far as "new blood'' being added to the sport during the next five years, but Pearman said that his club was looking in this direction by concentrating on younger players.

"We have our Pee Wees coming along, if the schools get the youths more involved in the cricket I think it will filter all the way up and eventually through to the clubs. The school programme has to be improved on, we have been saying this for years.

"Saturday mornings we are working with the Pee Wees, six to nine year olds, and playing around with them and developing them.'' Meanwhile, Pearman flatly denied that there was any truth to a report that Somerset were attempting to lure Albert Steede from Devonshire Rec. to replace Perry Maybury as skipper next season.

Maybury hinted after Cup Match that work commitments may prevent him from playing regularly next season. Maybury only regained the captaincy at Somerset this season when his brother-in-law Andre Manders returned to his former club Western Stars.