Cup Match legend Clarence Parfitt was not among the 10 applicants for the post of Bermuda national cricket coach when last week's deadline expired.

A long-term resident of Scotland, Parfitt decided that his current position as development officer for the north of Scotland -- a post which comes under the umbrella of the Scottish Cricket Board -- was more secure than the job being offered in Bermuda.

The veteran coach visited Bermuda late last year and had unofficial talks with Bermuda Cricket Board of Control president El James, and left with a promise that the Board would be in contact once the job description had been decided.

True to the Board's word, Parfitt did receive an application form and information about the post -- but it contained too few details for his liking.

"I have received a copy of the ad from the Board but it doesn't tell too much,'' said Parfitt this week.

"Just what are they looking for? It doesn't say anything about the pay or how long the coach would be employed.

"But the truth of the matter is that I am quite busy here in Scotland with my current post which is entering its second year and I am quite happy. If the BCBC want to send me additional information that's their choice, but I don't think I would have any interest in a position back home right now.'' Parfitt had long shown interest in returning to the Island as a national coach, but said he believed his immediate future was in Scotland, his adopted home for many years.

He said he was also reluctant to tell his current bosses that he was looking for another job.

"Gosh, that would be silly ... and if it didn't pan out I would certainly be left in a bad position, probably losing a job that I am enjoying,'' he said. "I am doing all what the BCBC are looking for but why should I jeopardise what's here. I have to look at security.'' Parfitt said he believed that the lone Bermudian who had applied for the post was Bailey's Bay allrounder Noel Gibbons.

"I figure it would be him, I know he is keen to get involved in coaching at a national level. But the bottom line is that you can't expect people to apply when you don't know what it calls for.'' Parfitt said he supported the argument that Bermuda should one day be coached by a Bermudian, disagreeing with former St. George's Cricket Club administrator Mansfield Smith that a local would not gain the respect of the players.

He recalled playing under local coach Alma (Champ) Hunt, and said he earned full respect from the team.

Meanwhile, BCBC chief James said this week that the coaching committee were currently reviewing all of the applications.

"The committee is going through the applications right now, looking to see who can best suit the needs of Bermuda, not necessarily the best former player because we're not looking for a player,'' said James.

"It could be the best player in the world who applied but we're not looking for a player, we're looking for a coach. The name is not the most important factor here. It's what he is going to bring to the table, his qualifications, experience, credentials.

"That is what we're looking at because we want him focusing on the schools, the community, the clubs that are languishing and individuals who are interested in coaching, to have coaching courses -- so that three, four years from now we have an an enormous pool of qualified coaches so that every club will have someone there offering a quality programme.'' He pointed out it could be weeks before the successful applicant takes up the post.

"We would hope to make a decision in the next few weeks, but after that there is immigration, if the person is foreign,'' James noted.

"If it is a local then of course that person could be in place by August. In the meantime we want to have Willie Bourne come back to do the second phase of the coaching course. We have nine individuals who were successful in level one and now they will be one step away from doing the advanced course which will be a year from now.

"The first level we did in a concentrated weekend, but the second level takes a little more time, at least two weekends, maybe three weekends. If he's here for that time then we will ask him to look at our programme and also work with the community clubs and the national teams until the full-time coach comes into place.'' Clarence Parfitt: content to continue coaching in Scotland.