cricket is heading in the right direction under its present format, even though he acknowledges some clubs are struggling badly.

However, with a couple of hundred youngsters coming through in the two junior divisions, James believes some of the weaker clubs could be boosted by those same youngsters in the next couple of years. James was responding to suggestions from top players Wendell Smith, Keith Wainwright and Dexter Smith that cricket should return to the Super Eight structure in order to improve the quality of matches. James says that could be to the detriment of some of the clubs who need most help.

"We realise some clubs out there are struggling for players, but we found that situation when we took over the administration,'' said the president."We realise there are some clubs that have a better allround team, not because of their true development over the years but because they are a top team they have always atracted players from other teams, especially the bottom placed teams.

"If a player goes to one of the weaker teams and is half decent, naturally they would want to play for a better team and so those teams on the top Continued on page 15 James rejects Super Eight option Continued from page 13 stay strong and the teams on the bottom always remain weak, no matter who they attract.'' The absence of a youth league for many years robbed the sport of new talent, but the future is starting to look bright again with a number of teenagers showing promise. James only hopes that when they advance to the senior level they will stay with their clubs and help them improve. We see in about a three-year period, looking at the 350 youngsters we have involved right now in the under-18s and under-15s, as those youngsters develop they are going to want to find a home. And if they get the right development in the next three years or so we will see the teams getting to the same par.'' James drew reference to his former club, Warwick, who already have a number of talented youngsters in their senior team. Another club, St. David's, started putting the emphasis on their youth programme a few years ago and now have the best young talent on the Island, players who are already regulars in their senior team.

"Warwick are using the youngsters who are in the under-18 and under-15 leagues and they are not being embarrassed right now,'' James stated.

"They can only get better over the next three years. Even if you look at some of the emerging teams in the Test arena, Sri Lanka and others, they went through a period where they took some real creaming.

"Somewhere along the way you have to pay a price, but here in Bermuda we get this thing where you say `we made a lot of runs against them today, take them out of the league'. But let's look at the big picture here, and if we're going to go for development then let's develop.'' James believes that with the Super Eight, those top teams will attract the best of the youngsters while other clubs will only get weaker.

"If we have the Super Eight right now some of the teams that are struggling would merely die,'' added James.

James, himself a former Bermuda international, doesn't agree with the notion that members of the national team will have their level of performances affected by playing against weaker teams.

"A good player can play against any calibre of player and it's not going to affect his standard of play,'' James stated.

"A true competitor knows how to play against any level of opposition. And to say it's going to lower your level is foolishness. It takes more concentration and more effort to play against someone who you think is at a level lower than you because you just might lower your guard.

"You have to realise that those fellas you are thrashing today might be the individuals who are turning the tables tomorrow. We are so quick to write these players off and that's what you're saying when you say Super Eight.

`Banish them to a lower league, they're not good enough to play with me'.''