moreso than tenpin bowlers Conrad Lister and Antoine Jones who surprised almost everyone by grabbing the silver medal at September's Commonwealth Games in Malaysia. Competing in the "Friendly'' Games for the first time, the two bowlers were the toast of Bermuda's biggest-ever Games squad -- 23 athletes representing seven sports. Sailors also had a memorable year with Malcolm Smith landing the Sunfish World title in New York in August and Paula Lewin finishing the year as number one in the female World Match Racing rankings.

Lewin also made Gold Cup history when she and her crew of twin sister Peta, Leatrice Roman and Lisa Neasham became the first all-female team to reach the championship round of the popular regatta. Peter Bromby again proved to be a world class competitor when he failed by the narrowest of margins (0.09 points) to land his fourth IOD world title in Scotland. And the Island's swimmers had much to be proud of as they competed with some distinction overseas, setting a slew of national records and personal bests. `Teen Terror' Tyler Butterfield also had a sterling year, winning triathlon titles both here and abroad, while cyclist Elliot Hubbard continued to be a fine ambassador for his country abroad. The year began with Butterfield defending his Bank of Butterfield Mile title and Lewin and cricketer Clay Smith winning Athlete of the Year awards. It ended with Lewin maintaining her high standards, finishing top of the world in match rankings and Clay Smith failing in a second appeal against a five-match suspension which tarnished his achievement at the beginning of the year when he became the first team player to be voted Athlete of the Year. Clay's football team, Vasco, started the year by winning the Dudley Eve and then lost that title in their last match of 1998. It was that kind of up and down year...

JANUARY Vasco lifted the Dudley Eve title for the fourth time, beating Devonshire Colts 1-0 in the final... top golfer Dwayne Pearman comfortably won a second straight PGA title at Port Royal...Bermudian striker Kyle Lightbourne joined Fulham on a month's loan from Coventry...Stephen Troake set a new Bermuda and age group record in the 100 metres backstroke at World Swimming Championships in Perth, Australia; and Stephen Fahy set a new 100 metres butterfly record...Somalian Ibrahim Aden won the Bank of Butterfield Mile in 4:08.03, but the $10,000 for a sub-four minute mile remained in the bank safe; Tyler Butterfield defended his boys under-18 title and Shar-dae Whitter (12) became the youngest winner in the under-18 girls; Ukrainian Yelena Plastinina set a new marathon record (2:40.50), Paul Freary of England won a third straight half-marathon; Charles Mulinga of Zambia triumphed in the 10K but was then embroiled in controversy after being beaten up outside a nightclub; Jay Donawa led home the local men to defend his 10K title in 33:04; Marina Jones was the first local female in the marathon...Elliot Hubbard was dumped by Italian team AKI-Safi...track and field mourned the death of long time administrator Randy Benjamin and a high school All-Star game was dedicated to his memory...Irven Simmons and linesman Gregory Smith were attacked by a Wolves fan with an umbrella in a Second Division match at Wellington Oval...Hubbard signed for Belgium club Cedico...Wolves fan Troy Thomas was banned from Wellington Oval for 10 years after attacking officials...Devon Bean set two University of Arkansas long jump records.

FEBRUARY Sports groups spoke out on Government's questionnaire regarding the racial make-up of their sports...swimmer Duncan Newby was treated in a New York hospital for stomach cancer...Jay Donawa followed up his triumph in Race Weekend with victory in Butterfield & Vallis/Gatorade 5K race...Luger Patrick Singleton placed 27th in the Olympics in Nagano, Japan...Fulham failed to extend the loan period of Kyle Lightbourne...Clay Smith and Paula Lewin were named Athletes of the Year...Lightbourne signed for Stoke City, one week after returning from Fulham on loan... Dwayne Pearman set a new Belmont course record with round of 63 in the CB Open...Mystery bug at Castle Harbour hit players competing in the Lobster Pot Tournament...Hubbard walked out on Belgian team and signed for New Jersey Navigators...Wolves and Hamilton Parish clinched promotion to the First Division.

MARCH Bermuda's cross-country squad of Jay Donawa, Jamal Hart, Tracy Wright, Sheldon Thompson and Manuel Lopes placed seventh out of 11 teams at CAC Cross-Country Championships in Costa Rica . ..Vasco clinched second league title in three years ...Paula Lewin, top qualifier in the round robin, bowed out of ISAF World Sailing Championships in United Arab Emirates at quarter-final stage... Swimmer Stephen Fahy qualified for US Nationals, the first local to do so since Geri Mewett in 1992.. .FA Cup semi-final between Vasco and North Village was abandoned because of fighting with two minutes remaining with player Dwight Basden punched by a fan...Golfer Cy Kilgore of Massachusetts won the Bermuda amateur Match Play championships at Mid Ocean 3-and-2 over local Mark Dupuy in the final...BFA Technical Director Clyde Best set up a School of Excellence for youngsters...Shawn Goater signed for Manchester City from Bristol City on transfer deadline day for 400,000...Somerset Trojans and PHC were relegated for second time in their history...Vasco's Keith Jennings was banned for five matches and Cal Dill of North Village for three matches for their roles in FA Cup semi-final brawl.

APRIL Martial artist Arnold Allen was inducted into Sanuces Ryu-Mushaba Force International Martial Arts Hall of Fame during ceremony in California.. .drug testing in sports officially kicked off... Vasco won the Friendship and FA Cup to become the first team in 20 years to win the Triple Crown . ..Argentina's Hernan Gumy won XL Bermuda Open at Coral Beach, beating compatriot Lucas Arnold 7-6, 4-6, 6-2 in the final...Raneika Bean grabbed gold in the under-17 100 metres on the opening day of the Carifta Games in Trinidad... Randy Horton slammed Somerset CC after seeing his coaching post advertised, despite planning to quit...Robert Calderon quit as Hotels coach to concentrate on coaching post with the senior national team...Bermuda claimed overall title in Rosebowl Squash Tournament in closest finish in 32-year history of the event...Cricket and tennis mourned the death of Charlie Daulphin, at age 61. ..Mid Atlantic Athletic Club considered breaking away from under the Bermuda Track and Field Association to form Bermuda Road Racing Association.

MAY Hamilton Parish pulled out of the cricket league after just one season back...Shawn Goater scored twice in 5-2 win over Lightbourne's Stoke City as both teams were relegated to Second Division; Dislocated shoulder ruled Goater out of Shell Caribbean Cup...Indoor professional David Bascome scored twice as Bermuda beat Miami Fusion 3-2 in a warm-up game in Florida...Elliot Hubbard stunned a top pro field to win the Conyers Dill and Pearman Cycling Classic in Hamilton...Bermuda bowed out of Shell Cup with 2-1 loss to Cuba and 2-0 loss to Cayman Islands...Bermuda's 17-member swimming team won seven medals and set two national records and 40 PBs at University of Waterloo meet in Ontario...Patrick Singleton ended weeks of speculation over his future by confirming he would be would be aiming to compete in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City...Clyde Best defended selection policy after top scorer Rohaan Simons was left out of Shell squad...St. George's won Camel Cup for record fourth time as Clay Smith hit his fourth straight half-century...Tracy Wright won second Marathon Derby title, Jane Christie became the oldest female winner at age 43 with her second triumph...MacInnis Looby won his second Heritage Day cycle race, then urged organisers to put up better prizes for the winners; Looby later backed down and apologised after reaction from BBA president Greg Hopkins...fifth placed Marathon Derby finisher, Canadian Dave House, faced disqualification after breaching six-month residency rule; committee later allowed position to stand as House is clear of blame...Yale University student Stephen Fahy shattered two records at third BASA Spring Swim Meet...Terrance Armstrong broke Mike Watson's 10-year-old record in 1500 metres with a time of 3:43.51 in North Carolina.

JUNE Clyde Best was one of 26 prominent athletes honoured in England for breaking down racial barriers during his stint with West Ham United in the late 1960s and 70s...Youth cricketers' first tour to Canada in 10 years hailed a success...MacInnis Looby won bronze medal in 4,000 metres event at Small Countries World Cycling Championships in Cuba...Michael Way retained top ranking with straight sets win over Ricky Mallory in Heineken Open final...John Rebello, Fritz Reiter were the only two sportsmen recognised in Queens Birthday Honours list...Sammy Swan, Kenny Burt and Allan Peacock named PHC coaches...Michael Sims and Alisa Hardy won Bermuda Amateur Strokeplay titles at Port Royal...Rudy Bailey won sixth long distance comet race as Stevie Dickinson protested tacking incident off Bailey's Bay...St. David's youngster Shannon Raynor (14) smashed 202, including 21 sixes, in youth cricket match against Southampton...Several records fell at National Swimming Championships...James Collieson won his first senior tournament, the Colonial Open at Pomander Gate...Raneika Bean won three gold medals at Russell E.Blunt Invitational as Bermuda Pacers returned with 11 medals... Alexia took line honours in Newport-Bermuda race; Kodiak was overall winner on corrected time...Tyler Butterfield lifted Canadian triathlon title, beating 315 other competitors.

JULY National Stadium track was dug up again to be relaid, interrupting athletes' preparation prior to the CAC and Commonwealth Games...BFA confirmed plans for shake-up in soccer, including cutting the First Division to eight teams for the 1999-2000 season; clubs rejected implementation of American style roster system for the current season... Raneika Bean won two medals (gold and silver) at CAC Junior Championships in Cayman Islands... Duncan Newby underwent eight-hour surgery for cancer in New York...Terrance Armstrong broke 1500 metres record for third time at McGill International meet in Montreal with time of 3:41.97... BFA vowed to chase some $30,000 in unpaid registration fees owed by affiliate clubs...Soccer team failed to qualify for CAC Games in Venezuela... Swimming team won nine medals and set five national records in Caribbean Islands Championships; Stephen Troake, Stephen Fahy and Matthew Hammond all qualified for the Commonwealth Games in the process...Richard Basden received a five-match ban for abusive behaviour towards umpire Jeff Pitcher which ruled him out of Cup Match From Page 15 West Indies cricketer Carl Hooper got married in Bermuda in a quiet ceremony...Peter Bromby just failed to land a fourth IOD world title in Scotland by 0.9 points...Coach Jack Castle questioned Clyde Best's credentials, claiming he lacked the qualifications for the post of Technical Director; Best hit back at Castle's own achievements while in charge of national youth teams...Clarkie Trott was surprisingly overlooked for Cup Match despite a league-high 44 wickets; Trott then said he had finished with Cup Match...The summer classic finished in another draw as St. George's retained the cup; Mark Ray scored a century in the second innings and was voted MVP; Albert Steede became the ninth player to score 700 runs in Cup Match.

AUGUST Bermuda's under-20 soccer team were hammered 5-0 by Barbados and 6-0 by hosts Jamaica to be eliminated from the CONCACAF Zone qualifying for the Youth World Cup...Elliot Hubbard was denied his biggest ever win when pipped by one second by French-Canadian Charles Dione in the six-day Tour de Toona in Pennsylvania...Andrew Bascome took over as coach of Somerset Trojans, while Ricky Hill was confirmed as coach of promoted Hamilton Parish... Nick Kyme stopped USA's number one player Eric Pearson in the World Junior Men's Squash Championships in New Jersey.. .Tyler Butterfield won the US Junior National Triathlon Championships in Orlando...MacInnis Looby rode into another controversy, this time at the CAC Games in Venezuela when, during the time trial, officials ordered him to readjust his handlebars, and he pulled out of the event...Injury forced triple jumper Brian Wellman out of both the CAC and Commonwealth Games...Tamika Williams narrowly failed to qualify for the Commonwealth Games in the 50 metres freestyle at the CAC Games...Hotels dropped out of the soccer league for the second time in five years because of a lack of players...Terrance Armstrong missed a bronze medal in the 1500 metres by 72 hundredths of a second at the CAC Games...Michael Lopes and Joseph Viera won the Round-the-Island powerboat race...St. George's won Open title in cricket and Bailey's Bay took the age, which ruled him out of the Red Stripe team...Malcolm Smith landed the Sunfish World title in Long Island, New York.

SEPTEMBER Kavin Smith set new Labour Day race record, beating Tony Ryan's 1986 mark by three seconds.. .St. David's awarded the Knockout Cup on fewer wickets lost after their final against St. George's ended in a tie (118 to 118-9); it was the first loss of the season for St. George's...three sent off as Boulevard started the new soccer season with 3-2 victory over Vasco in the Charity Cup...Peter Bromby retained the National Match Racing title . ..Charlie Marshall was recalled to the national cricket team after 18 month absence and is made captain...Tyler Butterfield took top honours in the Bank of Bermuda triathlon, retaining his title. ..Southampton Rangers won the Champion of Champions title...Bowlers Conrad Lister and Antoine Jones won Bermuda's only medal at the Commonwealth Games, a silver; Jones placed 10th in the singles; Terrance Armstrong finished eighth in 1500 metres final while Stephen Fahy reached the B final of the 200 individual medley, placing sixth... Noel Gibbons played at the famous Lord's ground in a two-day final for his English club, Wycombe CC... Lee Trevino, Jim Furyk and Michelle McGann won the Gillette Tour Challenge at Mid Ocean, sharing first prize of $450,000.

OCTOBER Bermuda lost all three matches in the Red Stripe cricket tournament, going down to Trinidad and Tobago, Windward Islands and Guyana...Professional Kim Swan quit competitive golf to concentrate on his political career and the upcoming election. .. Bermuda's rugby team won their second Caribbean title in three years in the Bahamas... Robin Hood beat PHC in a first round upset in the FA Cup... Paula Lewin made Gold Cup history when she and her crew became the first all-female team to qualify for the championship round; she was then eliminated after a collision...BAA president Arthur Adams and referee Gregory Smith accused each other of racism following an incident in a Commercial League game between the Wanderers and North Village Rams...Bermuda beat St. Vincent 2-0 on aggregate at Somerset in an under-17 World Cup soccer qualifier...Brett Forgesson won his first marathon, the Niagara International Marathon in Niagara Falls... Russell Coutts won the fifth Gold Cup on its 50th anniversary... Elliot Hubbard cracked his Hill Climb record by one second at Southampton Princess as MacInnis Looby retained his title.

NOVEMBER Luc Laurent and Manuel Lopes were the only local runners to break the three-hour barrier in the New York Marathon...Tyler Butterfield won again, taking the inaugural Hallowe'en Triathlon in Dockyard...Top cyclist Sinclair Packwood died suddenly in hospital...Favourites France fell at the first hurdle in the World Rugby Classic, 40-21 to Argentina...Bill Pitt and Henry Ascento won a third straight Bermuda four-ball title at Port Royal by four strokes...Dandy Town won the Martonmere Cup for the third time, beating Devonshire Colts in the final... Bermuda scored a historic victory in the World Rugby Classic, 13-5 over South Africa, to reach the semi-finals for the first time; Classic Lions won the Classic, beating New Zealand All-Blacks 17-5... Swedish soccer champions Helsingborg scrapped plans for a two-match tour of Bermuda... Michael Way beat Donald Evans to win the Coral Beach Invitational...Bermuda finished 38th out of 52 countries at the World Amateur Golf Championships... referee Oral Swan was attacked by Social Club player Ian DeSilva...New MP El James vowed to continue as president of Bermuda Cricket Board of Control...Ailing Kavin Smith smashed Bermuda Sun half-marathon record, despite having to stop with stomach cramps.

DECEMBER Paul Parajeckas retained Belmont Invitational title, beating Bermudian Dwayne Pearman by two strokes...Bermuda stunned Trinidad and Tobago 3-0 but a 1-0 loss to Netherlands Antilles and a draw with Barbados denied the under-17 team a place in the next qualifying round of the Youth World Cup...Paula Lewin won the Osprey Cup in Florida and regained number one spot in the World Match Racing rankings.. . Dwayne Pearman was pipped for another title, this time in the Goodwill Professional Tournament where he was beaten by American Rich Parker in a play-off; the team title was also decided by a play-off when Dedham retained their crown in a three-team play-off at Port Royal which also involved local team Belmont ... Wolves beat Devonshire Colts and Devonshire Cougars to qualify for the Dudley Eve Tournament for the first time; Vasco, North Village and Dandy Town also qualified...Young golfer Aaron James outdrove the men to win the overall and 13-15 age group divisions at the inaugural Longest Drive Championships... BCBC turned down a second appeal by Clay Smith against his five-match ban... Track resurfacing delay at National Stadium forced officials of International Race Weekend to look for another venue for the finish of the 10K race.

BOWLED OVER -- Conrad Lister (left) and Antoine Jones surprised everybody with their stunning silver medal success in the tenpin bowling men's doubles event at September's Commonwealth Games in Malaysia.

BERMUDA FIRST -- Jennifer Wright was a member of the Island's gymnastics team competing at the Commonwealth Games for the first time.

ON TOP OF THE WORLD -- Sailor Paula Lewin finished the year as the world's number one ranked female match racer.

ELLIOT HUBBARD -- shifted his pro career from Europe back to the US.

RANEIKA BEAN -- 100 metres gold medal at the Carifta Games in Trinidad.

STEPHEN FAHY -- more records and a place in Commonwealth Games B final.

DOUBLE TROUBLE -- Tracy Wright won the May 24 Marathon Derby while Tyler Butterfield (right) established himself as the Island's number one triathlete.

WINTER WONDERMAN -- Luger Patrick Singleton became only the second Bermudian to compete at a Winter Olympic Games when he travelled to Nagano in Japan back in February.