Dismisses suggestions as 'complete rubbish'

Speight denies Bermuda is in crisis

James Whittaker

February 23, 2008

Cricket board chief Neil Speight dismissed talk of a crisis in Bermuda cricket as "nonsense" and insisted that huge strides have been made since Government pledged $11million to the national game.

Over the last ten days Bermuda's teams have set two new records - the lowest ever score in the Stanford 20/20 tournament and the most comprehensive defeat in cricket history at the Women's World Cup qualifier, where the team was beaten in just four balls. In addition, the Under-19s recorded the lowest score - seventh lowest of all-time - at the Under-19 World Cup.

Criticism of the board and the players has been rife in the papers, on talk-shows and in the street. But Speight, chief executive of the board, believes teams should be getting support not ridicule as they challenge the world's best in a series of David and Goliath battles. He believes learning hard lessons on the international stage is part of process of climbing the steep learning curve that separates the established cricket powerhouses from the emerging nations.

He insisted there was no crisis in the sport, Bermuda was just playing against much tougher opponents than it had ever faced in the past - a product of its success at the lower level. "I think its complete rubbish. If there is that perception, then it is wrong. A country should teach its children and it's athletes to aspire to greatness. If there are people that think 'don't go to the next level in case you don't succeed' they are teaching the community a very bad lesson.

"We could conspire to play Belgium and Mexico to ensure we won every game but we will only continue to improve if we push our programmes and our teams to a higher level... there will be times when we are going to be humbled but that doesn't mean we've got a bad programme." He accepted that Bermuda had not been at their best against Guyana but added: "to extrapolate that and say the sky is falling in is complete overreaction and nonsense."

Speight also accepted that the fitness of some of the players was not up to scratch at Stanford 20/20 and the World Cup but said that was starting to change as no one could say that about the Under-19 side. "We are changing the shape of Bermuda cricket."

And he reiterated that the government investment was not all about the senior team, pointing out that Bermuda's overall cricket programme had been deemed the best in the region by the ICC. He cited qualification for two World Cups and the women's World Cup qualifier, the establishment of under-13 and under-15 national teams, a massive increase in participation at junior level, improved coaching education and a development programme that had led to cricket being taught in every school on the island as some of the principal achievements over the past few years.

He also clarified that the board had fully audited financial reports accounting for how every cent of its Government and corporate cash was spent. We'll publish details on Friday. "From a personal level and a board perspective we are very proud of what has been done."

This article first appeared in the Bermuda Sun

© Bermuda Sun

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