BERMUDA'S top young cricketers should grab the great opportunities that are being presented to them, says Noel Gibbons, one of the island's best talents of the last 35 years.

Today marks the first anniversary of Bermuda's qualification for the cricket World Cup but few young players have stepped forward to make strong claims for a place in next year's team for the tournament in the West Indies.

Gibbons is a perfect example of a player coming good at a young age. His 'coming out' year was in 1971 when, at the age of just 16, he made his debut in Cup Match, played in the Bacardi Double-wicket Tournament and represented his country for the first time at the senior level. Now he is urging the talented young players to seize the opportunities, the kind of opportunities he wished he had as a youngster.

"Back then we had loads of talent but no money, now we have lots of money but not much talent," said Gibbons, the only Bermuda player to play in five ICC Tournaments (1979 to '92).

"The $11 million Government has pledged to the cricket programme over the next few years means that the current national teams will get every exposure possible. Since qualifying for the World Cup the senior team has had more trips abroad than at any period previously.

"Everything is there for them, you can't ask for more support from Government," said Gibbons.

"I take my hat off to Government for putting $11 million up. I tell Irving (Bay captain and Bermuda player Irving Romaine) every time they leave the island, why couldn't this happen 15 or 20 years ago. I'd give my right arm for that.

"I have seen 'Irv' getting batting contracts and having about four or five bats coming in a week from different companies and the opportunities are there for all youngsters. It's not only the senior team that is travelling but the youth teams are travelling too."

Twelve months after the memorable achievement in Ireland, there are still at least five spots up for grabs in the national team, including the top three batting spots which haven't been claimed and two or three bowling places.

"I would say that the opening bats who are going to the World Cup are not in the squad yet," Gibbons believes. "It just unfortunate Glenn Blakeney is not playing anymore."

Several opening combinations have been tried but the search continues for the right pair. Bermuda-born, English county player David Hemp will undoubtedly claim one of the spots, something which Gibbons supports despite opposition in some circles to Hemp's inclusion based on his decision to express interest in Bermuda apparently only after the team qualified for the World Cup.

"Hemp's name has risen up in the last year or so, but in 1992 when we went to Kenya to play in the ICC I bought up Hemp's name. When the squad was selected to train we had a meeting one night at the board's office and I brought Hemp's name up and said we should approach him," Gibbons revealed. "But it fell on deaf ears."

Gibbons is coaching the youngsters at Bailey's Bay and while there is talent at the club he has seen that the enthusiasm for the game is not what it was two decades ago. That, he stressed, is the same throughout the clubs.

"Back in those days everybody wanted to play for Bermuda or play Cup Match," the former allrounder said.

"You don't see that enthusiasm nowadays. There was one youngster at my club, I was talking to him about Cup Match and he said, 'Coach, I don't want to play Cup Match'. He's a talented fella but said he didn't like Somerset and didn't like St. George's."

One young player Gibbons praises for his dedication to the game is Dennico Hollis of Western Stars whose love of the game hasn't gone unnoticed by Gibbons.

"All he wants to do is talk cricket," said Gibbons. "He's a real joy to sit down and talk to. I haven't seen any youngster this season that has the enthusiasm of this youngster."

Having watched a number of 40-year-olds playing with some success this season, Gibbons hasn't ruled out making a return himself. Even at the age of 50 he feels he can compete in the Premier Division.

"I tell the guys at Bay, 'Once you have it, you always have it'," he stressed. "I do a lot of training so I'm still handy. Unfortunately in Bermuda age is a problem. Once you go past 35 people start saying, 'Get off the field you're too old'. In my era the best players on the island were between 33 and 38."

Gibbons holds advanced coaching qualifications and would dearly love to be involved in the national set-up with one of the teams but hasn't received an invitation.

He doubts Bermuda will win a match in their group against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India. In fact unless the bowling improves considerably he predicts the team will be chasing big scores. Just this week Sri Lanka posted a world record 443 against Holland.

"Ten years ago 280 was a big score, nowadays 300 is a losing score," Gibbons noted.

"Bangladesh have some good batsmen coming through. They only way Bangladesh can go is up and that is where they are going.

"I remember in 1982 when we played Bangladesh in the ICC. The game started 11 o'clock and 2.30 we were back in the hotel after Coe (Winston Trott) and El James had cleaned those byes out for 40-odd.

"But what happened to us? Our cricket stopped from 1986 to 2005!"