to play the touring Australian Test team who are set to arrive on the Island this weekend.

The Aussies, fresh from their triumphant series in the West Indies, are scheduled to play three matches during a short tour here next week but no league team has been lined up as opponents.

Instead Bermuda Cricket Board of Control have scheduled matches against a Bermuda Select, a BCBC President's Select and Cup Match champions St.

George's.

Bailey's Bay skipper Chris Smith and veteran allrounder Noel Gibbons both said yesterday their team was upset at being ignored, skipper Smith claiming that the BCBC had a "personal vendetta'' against them.

In the past the league champions of the day have been invited to play touring sides -- Western Stars faced Derbyshire when they toured here in 1993. And Bay's skipper is miffed at being ignored this time around.

However, during the Aussies' tour of Bermuda in 1991 their opponents were also a Bermuda Select, a BCBC President's Select and Cup Match champions St.

George's. And the Australians didn't play a league team during their tour here in 1978.

Smith said the fact that Bay won three major titles last season -- League, Camel Cup and Knockout -- should count for something. Bay also captured the Eastern Counties Cup.

"Personally I think they have a vendetta against us, I really do,'' said Smith yesterday.

"I think it's because we produce our own players, we don't have any outside players and we are proud of this fact. The Board regard our players as having bad characters, but if they stop looking at characters and look at our ability maybe they will see our character in a better way.'' Besides Bay being overlooked, Smith said he was concerned over Board policy that seemed to disregard members of his team when it came to selections.

The two teams that have been named for the tour matches were "a glaring example'' with the skipper hinting that young Devrae Hollis and possibly himself both deserved to be chosen.

"Devrae, who is still very young, has opened the innings with me for the last three years at Bay and we've been very successful. Look at myself, there has been nobody better than me as an opener in the last four years but it just seems to be that because we are from Bay we are not chosen. I just find this hard to accept,'' said Smith.

"I am very disappointed about all of this. Every time it is our turn the Board seem to count us out. We had a great season last year and that should have earned us a fairer deal.'' Gibbons, who cracked 36 twice while playing for St. George's and Bermuda against the Australians in 1991, agreed with his skipper and speculated that there had to be a reason why Bay were not included in the schedule.

"I bet if it was a popular club like Western Stars or St. George's who won the Premier Division last season the Board would have scheduled them to play against the Aussies,'' said Gibbons, who is currently serving a three-month suspension.

Although Bay are considerably weakened with Gibbons, Charlie Marshall and Terry Burgess all serving suspensions and are ineligible, Gibbons pointed out that their record of a year ago was deserving of a crack at the tourists.

"I just don't understand it, no team is more deserving than Bailey's Bay, not even any of the selections they have come up with for the tour,'' he complained.

Meanwhile, BCBC president Ed Bailey and first vice-president Rudolph Lawrence are both in Jamaica sorting out final details of the tour and were unavailable for comment yesterday, while the highest ranking official that remains, Keith Tucker, could not be reached.

CHRIS SMITH -- Bailey's Bay upset at being ignored.