Mark Harper leaves the post of national cricket coach ?frustrated? at not having had the power to achieve certain objectives.

However, he has characterised his rapport with the Bermuda Cricket Board (BCB) executive as ?a good relationship?, saying he prided himself on being able to work with people regardless of whatever circumstances he faced.

?It?s always frustrating if you want to do things and, for a number of reasons, you can?t get them done. Yeah, it was frustrating and obviously very challenging at times,? he acknowledged.

Such frustration was compounded, he added, by the fact that sometimes people, including the public, held him accountable for the outcome of situations when he did not have the authority to do what he would have wished.

Among his foremost complaints was the lack of proper preparation, despite his lobbying, for the senior national side ahead of major competitions.

?One of the main things was not getting enough exposure for the senior guys. We were really dormant since 2002. You can?t just prepare for a tournament. Your senior team must be constantly active if you want to get the best out of them,? said Harper, speaking in his final interview.

Noting ?there is a lot of passion for the game? here which must be channelled ?towards the game?, the Guyanese coach explained that while ?people love to go to cricket . . . there?s not a lot of drive and determination to move the game forward? and that?s where the passion is lost.

Looking ahead, he cited a number of areas where drastic improvement was necessary for the Island?s cricket to progress. These include Board-player communication, player fitness and training facilities.

Regarding the latter, he said: ?You must have good training facilities to assist in cricket development and that?s been a big disappointment here. I?ve not seen any real improvement in the training facilities barring those at the National Sports Centre which is a quality complex.

?At the clubs themselves they need to have proper facilities so they can train players properly.?

Harper also urged those involved in coaching to seek certification, noting that only ten of the 25 who signed up for a West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) coaching course in 2002 completed it.

?Since then I tried to run a couple courses but the interest is not there. That?s an area where guys need to strive to improve themselves,? said the outgoing national coach, also calling for specialist attention for Bermuda?s fast bowlers.

Reflecting on his tenure, he stated that player fitness had been of repeated concern and stressed the Board must find ?a way to get players to become fitter?.

?I don?t know what incentive is needed but the Board must come up with something to make the players more determined and committed about their fitness.?

In addition, he cited the need for national players and the Board to have a closer relationship so ?players could understand what is expected of them and vice versa?.

Despite his challenges, Harper leaves Bermuda satisfied that he did his best and is pleased with the improvements in the senior national squad under his watch.

?Without a doubt the quality of cricket that the senior team plays, though they are not as active as I would like them to be, has improved tremendously.

?Although we might not be winning tournaments, we field much better now, we hold a lot of our catches and the bowlers are much more focused. Players are working towards the game plan.

?Our batting has improved, yes, and guys have been thinking about how they accumulate runs a bit more but the habit of hitting the ball in the air is still there.

?I really am impressed with how we played this year. We played some good cricket at different stages and acquitted ourselves well,? he said, critiquing the national team.

Harper noted that to judge Bermuda?s strides one must analyse the team?s performances this year against opposition which they are accustomed to beating and against sides which have conquered the Island previously too.

?Look at the Americas Cup for instance. You had The Bahamas and Argentina which are definitely teams below us and you look at those games and see if they are gaining ground ? definitely not.

?Then you look at Cayman Islands who were our main rivals ? we won that game comfortably. Finally, you look at the teams above you ? the USA and Canada ? and assess if you?re gaining ground on them. The answer is definitely yes.

?They are the experienced teams with much more exposure and it?s not easy to beat them . . . but those games were close,? he said.