At a time when the Bermuda Cricket Board are "bending over backwards" to improve the overall calibre of cricket on the Island, some players are not playing a supportive role ? and that has disappointed Reginald Pearman.

The decision of some prominent players to withdraw from the training squad ahead of the Intercontinental Cup in June has both puzzled and frustrated the BCB president, but he is keen to assert that the governing body will not be deterred and will press ahead with their mandate of getting the Island into as many international competitions as possible ? a directive of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

"Of course we are disappointed when senior players fail to respond to international commitments. It really is a shame when we are busting our butts and the players are not responding," the president told

"It is a pity when they want to train only when they want to train, but that's not good enough. That sort of attitude leaves us with no alternative but to play with the players that we have.

"Unfortunately these players appear to have their own agenda, but I really don't know what their problems are. We are having an executive committee meeting today and will probably make a decision on that matter one way or the other."

Neither Pearman nor coach Mark Harper have said it, but the absence of some key players will undoubtedly have a major impact on Bermuda's ability to perform at the highest level.

Among those not involved for various reasons are Glenn Blakeney, Janeiro and Kwame Tucker, Corey Hill, Dennis Pilgrim, Hasan Durham, Herbie Bascome and young Delyone Borden.

There was hope that the appointment of Clay Smith as captain in place of Charlie Marshall would inspire the players, however this doesn't appear to be so because the same apathy is still being shown by players.

Smith, who was part of the selection committee to pick the original squad, could not be reached for comment last night but his father Mansfield, a long-serving former St. George's cricket official, said that he was just as disappointed as Pearman to learn about the players' lack of interest in joining the senior national squad.

"Yes, it's terribly disappointing," he said. "I would think that every player would want to represent his country, but I can't think of any reason why so many key players would think otherwise," said Smith.

Meanwhile Pearman hinted that the Board's hopes of introducing two-day cricket this season may not be a sure thing after all.

With the start to the season less than a month away, he said it may be a little too late to look into these possibilities even though their Technical Committee have concluded their report.

The hold-up was due to the poor response from the clubs who had to fill out a circular and return it to the committee.

"It's possible that we may have to hold off on that, all things are possible," said Pearman when asked if two-day cricket would be put on the backburner until next season.

"All I can say is that all options are open right now. We are holding an executive committee meeting today and we will be looking at the report that we have and just looking at how the clubs have responded."