A player crisis has erupted among the Bermuda table tennis squad ahead of this weekend's USA Open Team Championships in Baltimore, Maryland, expected to draw close to 200 teams.

Key team member Alden Ray was yesterday still unable to give a definite commitment to making the trip to the east coast for the Friday, Saturday and Sunday event, due to an unfortunate incident involving one of the business owner's employees.

The unnamed staff member, who operates the movie projector at Southside Cinema -- which Ray co-owns -- was recently involved in a traffic accident, leaving Ray to fill the void at the east end movie house.

And if Ray is unable to find someone to operate the projector he will be forced to abandon plans to be a part of the tour party that departs today, which would likely mean having to bring veteran Mansfield (Bojangles) Smith in as a full-time squad member, sacrificing the reserve position and weakening the team.

"We're in trouble, because we normally take a four-man team, with three competing and one reserve,'' said Smith, who was due to travel as team manager and reserve behind captain Nick Frost, Myron Piper and Ray.

"If he cannot go it's a major crisis, because Nick Frost, the number one player in Bermuda, needs a rest now and then, due to him having some back problems.

"Myself, I haven't played in over a year, but I have been going to a reflexologist every week and have been cleared to play, so it looks like that is what will have to happen.'' Smith added that an SOS call had been sent out to former Bermuda number one player Dexter Smith, but he could not play through work commitments.

Another potential option is to have Corey Berkeley step in, as he is currently based in the Baltimore-Washington area, but Berkeley was said to be reluctant to take part as he has also been out of competition for a while.

Nevertheless, the team will be quite busy and can expect to play a minimum of 11 opponents each, starting with four matches on Friday to determine group placement, five on Saturday as they enter the round robin phase and at least two on Sunday.

More matches will come if Bermuda can place in the top two of their each team bracket.

Bermuda's best finish at the event came four years ago as Frost, Dave Waltham, Mike Lindo and player/coach George Braithwaite were runners-up in Group D.

The Island Satellite Systems Annual Youth tournament will take place at Cedarbridge Academy on Saturday, December 2, starting at 12.45 p.m. (See Club Call on scoreboard page for registration details.)