role in the administration of the sport should be involved in the decision making -- that's the view of an official of the Bermuda Cricket Umpires Association (BCUA).

The official was reacting sharply to claims on Tuesday by Bermuda Cricket Board of Control (BCBC) president Ed Bailey that the Board's scheduling committee would be studying methods for further improving the league's structure and eventually allowing the clubs the opportunity to object before any proposed changes are ratified.

Bailey had indicated that the current format of having all 16 teams compete in the one Premier Division hindered the improvement of the stronger clubs -- a point many umpires agree with.

Fearing serious repercussions -- obviously mindful of the Board's suspension of former BCUA president Randy Butler three years ago -- the official, who preferred to remain anonymous, expressed his displeasure at hearing how such a committee had been assembled, and that the BCUA had not been approached for their input.

"This has always been the case and it's wrong to have the Board discard our association like this. We should be contacted to give our views on matters like this, we consider ourselves to be a vital part of the cricket fraternity and therefore should have some input,'' said the umpire.

"I don't know of any other country that operates like us, things that involve everybody is decided by just a few when the sensible thing to do is to consult as many as possible so that the entire league structure can be put under a microscope. Doing it this way would prevent further headaches down the road.'' Bailey had also revealed that he anticipated the assessments to be finished before the end of the year, giving the clubs ample opportunity to object before any proposed changes were ratified.

But the umpire did agree with Bailey's remarks that it was difficult to run a league of 16 teams at one time and that the format didn't do anything for the stronger teams although it did appear to benefit the weaker ones.

"We have no real answer, but it's clear that we must come up with some sort of structure to improve the situation. The Super Eight may not be the solution, but one thing for certain is that we must do something, which is why it is important to get input from as many viewpoints as possible,'' said the BCUA member.

SOCCER SOC North Village will be hosting the NVCC Seven-A-Side tournament starting on Monday at Bernard Park, with the first match set for a 6 p.m. kick-off.

All Bantam, Premier Division and senior players are invited to participate in the event, which has registration taking place at the club tonight from 6 to 8 p.m.

A fee of $15 per player is being asked, with players receiving a T-shirt.

All players are requested to report to the field on Monday by 5.30 p.m.

For further information contact chairman Shervin Dill.