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Decision day approaches

Pictured: David Hemp
By Don Burgess
The cricket team will conclude its successful tour today - so successful that several players that may have been on the fringe of the selectors minds they have to be serious contenders to be picked. I'm going to toss out 15 names who I think should be on the squad and would like you to put up your 15 as well. In no particular order: Irving Romaine, David Hemp, Sluggo, Lionel Cann, Chris Douglas, Kevin Hurdle, George O'Brien, Stefan Kelly, Rodney Trott, Delyone Borden, Glenn Blakeney, Janeiro Tucker, Fiqre Crockwell, Stephen Outerbridge and Jacobi Robinson.

What deserves praise? (and what deserves ridicule?)

Don Burgess
Last week the Premier Brown congratulated the women's hockey team for its effort after finishing last in the Pan Am Cup at home. The women played some of the best teams in the world, and, in some games, were vastly outmatched. That was to be expected.
The crux of the problem, in some people's eyes, comes in the Premier's congratulatory letter to the team. He's just set the standard that any Bermudian team that competes against the world's best, deserves a pat on the back. Opportunities to take the field against the top teams in the world is a rare occurrence for Bermuda, and we should take pride in that. And when we produce a Brian Wellman, Nicky Saunders or MJ Tumbridge, we can be doubly proud. Bermuda will produce individual athletes who are world beaters - asking one of our teams to do the same would be asking for a miracle. So, yes, the women's team deserves a pat on the back rather than a knife in it.

Where now for Commercial footballers?

By James Whittaker
The Bermuda Football Association confirmed this week that it plans to scrap the Commercial Division.
BFA Technical director Derek Broadley has described the league as ‘selfish’ saying that it drains resources — fields, referees, players — that are badly needed at the top end of the game.
Other than a ten-team league for over-30s there is, apparently, no room in the new structure for recreational or pub footballers. That leaves 12 teams — the likes of MR Onions, Robin Hood and Lobster Pot — in the cold. The BFA clearly hopes the most talented players in the Commercial league will try out for teams in the First or Premier Division increasing competition for places and improving the overall standard.
The players they replace, along with the rest of the Commercial Division, will have to find their home in an expanded Breakfast League or form a breakaway division without support from the BFA. There’s an outside chance that the Association could expand the First Division, but it seems highly unlikely that they would admit more than one extra team.
So will the change have the desired effect and improve the standard of Bermudian football or will it, as MR Onions coach Phil Anderson suggests, simply leave 200 plus lads with a passion for football but nowhere to play?

10 teams or eight?

Don Burgess
The BFA will decide on whether to bump the Premier Division up to 10 or leave it at eight. Moving it to 10 will create a minor problem as to who gets included in the the revamped Premier Division, but the proposed solution seems simple enough - have the 7th place Premier team playoff against the 4th place First Division side and the 8th place team gets the First Division's third best team. Both the first and second place teams would automatically move up.
The move to 10 teams would help remove the lengthy gaps in the schedule, but goes against the reason why the BFA moved to eight teams in the first place - to have the best players only playing against each other as the way to develop players. By making the move back to 10 teams, the BFA is admitting that plan was a failure.

Power Rangers to the rescue

Don Burgess
Southampton got the result they needed with a 2-0 victory over soon to be deposed league champs PHC Zebras. The three points helps draw them level with PHC in the standings with five to go. Southampton still gets to play Colts - who, if they were a racehorse, would have been sent to glue factory already. They also have Hamilton Parish - a much trickier encounter, but beatable. That's not to limit Rangers to just two more victories, because as last weekend's result shows, they are capable of beating anybody.