Bermuda's World Cup Dream

Every time he returns to Barbados, Colin Blades is reminded of his contest against one of cricket's best spin bowlers almost four decades ago.

On debut as a teenager for Barbados in 1964, the Lodge schoolboy was prised out by Lance Gibbs.

Blades fell cheaply to the great off-spinner, but it was a tribute to him that he was able to get into a powerful Barbados team before his 20th birthday.

Barbados' captain was the legendary Everton Weekes and the side also included Test players Conrad Hunte, Robin Bynoe, Seymour Nurse, Wes Hall, Charlie Griffith and David Allan.

Having scored more than 700 runs in the previous Division 1 season in his final year at Lodge, Blades was named Barbados' 12th man for their match against British Guiana in February of 1964.

Injury to Peter Lashley on the eve of the match paved the way for his selection in the final 11, but the wily Gibbs made sure his first appearance was short-lived.

I get reminded of it every time I come back to Barbados, said Blades, who has been resident in Bermuda since 1970.

I was young and enthusiastic. In those days, every schoolboy loved fast bowling, added the former Clarke's Hill, St. Philip resident.

Once you bowled fast, I was pretty confident, but we didn't have the patience and experience to handle the spin stuff.

With Gibbs' experience and my inexperience, it wasn't a match it was a mismatch.

Since then Blades has distinguished himself, mainly in Bermuda, where he had the honour of captaining the country in the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Trophy in 1982.

It was a tournament in which he averaged more than 100 with the bat, but the one disappointment was that Bermuda just missed out on qualifying for the 1983 World Cup.

At the time, Bermuda's cricket was thriving, but these days it isn't doing as well, although the country is still in line for a place in the 2003 World Cup.

When I first went to Bermuda, cricket was at its best, said Blades, who is married to a Bermudan whom he met while studying at the Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies.

It was at its peak in the early 80s, but just like cricket in Barbados and the rest of the West Indies, it started to wane.

We are now trying to get it back to the level where it should be.

Cricket was so vibrant in Bermuda that everything else took a back seat one weekend in the summer when there was a contest between the two teams from the varying end of the island.

The problem now is getting youngsters interested, Blades said.

Even so, he feels Bermuda's side for July's ICC Trophy is capable to landing a place in the top three and qualify for the next World Cup in South Africa.

If they do what they have to do and play the game hard, I think they can qualify, he said.

There are good players on the team, he added while mentioning the names of captain Charlie Marshall, Clay Smith, Albert Steede and Dennis Archer.

Bermuda's recent participation in the regional Red Stripe Bowl limited-overs competition should be more than useful preparation.

But there was also a downside to playing in that competition against established Test players.

I think at some point in time, they get intimidated and once you get intimidated in an arena with Test players, it could act as a demotivator when you get crushed, Blades said.

While Bermuda have been playing in the regional One-Day competition for at least five seasons, Blades does not feel they are ready to graduate to a four-day competition like the Busta Cup.

Blades, who has been employed in Bermuda's Civil Service since 1980 following ten years of teaching, suggested that one or two players were good enough to play for a West Indies B team.

But, it was his view that an entire Bermuda side would struggle.

Given the strength of the team as it is now, I don't think that four days might be good for them, Blades said.

The level of fitness is not there, so obviously they won't be able to concentrate for more than a day. They are not fit. That's being frank.

Blades' involvement in Bermuda's cricket these days is minimal, but he was part of a committee that recommended that Barbadian born former England Test batsman Roland Butcher be appointed the country's coach.

He spoke briefly about relocating to Barbados in time.

For now, however, Bermuda remains a home away from home.