tonight or tomorrow to find out if they will be asked to work on Thursday and Friday.

By now the umpires for the annual classic would normally have been assigned.

But the delay this year, says Bermuda Cricket Umpires Association secretary Randy Butler, has left the top officals in limbo, not being able to make plans for the holiday.

"We sent a letter to the board (Bermuda Cricket Board of Control) over two weeks ago and we haven't heard anything,'' said Butler.

"We normally know at least 10 days ahead of time. This is far too late, there's got to be an improvement on that.'' Butler said the umpires were anxious to know who had been assigned so that those not chosen could make alternate plans to spend time with their families.

"Nobody knows who's doing Cup Match. The board is supposed to meet on Tuesday and they will probably inform the umpires on Wednesday,'' said Butler.

Yesterday, BCBC vice-president Gladstone Brown admitted the appointments were late but said that the correspondence from the umpires had only been received last Thursday.

Brown said he had concerns over whether the appointments should even be the responsibility of the board. He believed it was something the umpires association should handle themselves.

"We will make some recommendations on that because it seems foolish,'' said Brown yesterday. "That should come from within the umpires association. "We find that to be flawed, the way it's done, and we have some concerns about that. Why do the umpires send a list to the board for the board to appoint the umpires for Cup Match when if there is a problem with Cup Match it is handled by the Cup Match clubs? "Why isn't it sent to the clubs and copied to the board? We do have the list and we will go through it. That should come from the umpires association who should forward it to the host clubs.

"I have expressed this view before and it is something we have to sit down and look at. Someone needs to tell me why the board does it.'' Those submitted in the short list sent in by the BCUA are Dennis Raynor, Wilbur Pitcher, George Francis, Randy Butler, Ronald O'Hara, Lester Harnett and George Trott. Raynor and Butler officiated in the 1996 match which Somerset won while Butler and Francis were in the middle last year.