Last time I checked, cricket was a game in which teams of 11 play each other.Maybe that’s no longer the case.Certainly that wasn’t the case in some of last weekend’s matches.Two teams took to the field with nine players and two teams couldn’t even find that many.Seems these days anyone who turns up at the ground with a white shirt can get a game.It’s much the same in the recreational Commercial League, where last weekend one side could only muster seven.That’s the bare minimum if the game is to be played.Within the Bermuda Cricket Board’s structure, Twenty20 seems to pose the biggest problem. Oddly, the shorter version of the game that can be over in three hours or less, either isn’t that popular in Bermuda or when players have to choose between Twenty20 on a Saturday or 50-over games on a Sunday, it’s the latter that wins out.Given what’s happened over the last few weeks, it’s clear that players just don’t have the time or the opportunity to take part in games on both days.Work or family commitments have to take precedence and that’s perfectly understandable.The BCB may have to decide which form of the game they want to develop most. And that decision may fall into the lap of national coach David Moore.It appears that the two leagues can’t run in tandem on any given weekend.There just aren’t enough players available, or least senior players..Under-14s had to be recruited to make the numbers up at St George’s recently and it’s doubtful such drastic action can further their development, coming up against faster bowlers or better batsman than they might encounter in the junior league.Options open to the BCB might be to run the Twenty20 league over a period of five or six weeks and then switch to the 50-over game. And once in a while it would be interesting to see how two of the better teams fared over two days, as is the case in Cup Match.The hard fact remains is that with Counties games, knockout cup games, regular league games, Twenty20, Cup Match and the odd international, there aren’t sufficient days in the season and not enough players to make the current format viable.Younger players are more likely to be able to play on both weekend days but senior players who work five days a week, sometimes six, can’t afford to support their club as much as they would like. Family and work have to take priority, particularly in this economic climate.The BCB are facing a dilemma. Persevere with the current schedule and risk a series of mis-matches or defaults, or find a way to revamp the schedule.There won’t be an easy solution but reflecting on last weekend’s farce, it’s clear some decisions will have to be made soon.* * * *Last weekend’s column prompted some interesting comments regarding the May 24 Marathon Derby and whether a relay race should be run in conjunction with the main event.Like myself, many believe the relay puts a dent in an event that has evolved for over more than 100 years.But there are also some who think that any event which helps people to get off their butts and try some kind of strenuous exercise is worthwhile.With obesity a major problem in Bermuda, commented one of those who posted his thoughts on the Gazette website, every opportunity should be taken to encourage some kind of participation from those who normally watch from the roadside.Others formed the opinion ‘the more the merrier’. Last week saw an addition of some 320 runners, adding to an individual field of almost 800.That’s by far the most runners who have ever competed in this historic race.But is more better?Not in my book. There so many other road races on the calendar in which athletes and non-athletes can compete, no matter what their fitness level.Coming up this month, for instance, is the annual Couples Race which has proved hugely popular in the 25 years or more it has taken place.Categories include husband/wife, mother/daughter, father/son, girlfriend/boyfriend and a bunch of others. Some run five miles, some five kilometres. And you don’t even have to find a partner, there’s an individual category. You can even walk.But the Derby is in a league of its own. It’s special to all of those who have completed the entire course.It may be fun for the relay runners to soak up the atmosphere, as some believe, but their very presence dilutes what remains a unique event.The relay does generate income in terms of increased entry fees which, as organiser Dr Gina Tucker pointed out, means more donations to the charities which benefit from the race.My comment in last week’s column that more money in the kitty, meant more cash for organisers to spend at they choose, might have been misleading and I apologise to Dr Tucker if that was the impression some readers may have formed.As she explained, a percentage of the entry fees is paid to the sport’s governing, the Bermuda Track and Field Association, to rent the timing chips, to provide T-shirts and several incidentals. Anything left over, she added, is held over to help finance the following year’s race.But when all’s considered, the Derby isn’t about money or numbers. It’s about upholding tradition.ADRIAN ROBSON