Western Stars? demise in two-day cricket could turn out to be a blessing in disguise, says philosophical team coach Milford (Ju Ju) Waldron.

Stars were relegated to the First Division last Sunday after suffering an emphatic innings and two-run defeat at the hands of arch rivals Bailey?s Bay in their own back yard at St.John?s Field.

But rather than point fingers, Waldron simply attributed his team?s misfortunes to inexperience.

?Against Southampton Rangers we came up short by eight runs in the first innings and then going into the second day?s play against St.George?s we were 203 for three chasing 260 and next thing you know we where 239 for nine,? Waldron lamented.

Stars were also outgunned by Social Club and Bay.

?We were simply outdone by the legendary bat of Charlie Marshall while Bay were sharper and more focused than us in every department over the two days,? Waldron said.

After making a clean sweep of domestic honours in 2003, Stars have embarked on a gradual decline that began with the controversial transfer of spin king Dwayne (Sluggo) Leverock in 2004.

Due to an administrative error during the transfer process, Leverock was reduced to playing in the Commercial Division. But then came the inevitable retirements of top all rounder Arnold Manders and team skipper Albert Steede, the disappearing act of opening batsman Jermaine Postlethwaite and transfer of useful seamer Wilbur Burt to St.George?s.

And while the likes of Hasan Durham and Saleem Mukuddem have done well to try to carry the team on their shoulders, the omission of key players seems to have finally caught up with Stars who, according to Waldron, ?are rebuilding for the future?.

?This is going to be a process that I certainly hope the St. John?s Road community and our loyal spectators will understand and show patience,? he added.

?I have already stressed to the players that rebuilding is going to have to be done block- by- block. At the moment we are developing a new captain (Justin Robinson), wicketkeeper and new bowlers and I?m pleading for the fans to give these guys a chance as they go through the process.

?Sometimes when you look at relegation . . . . going down in a lower division isn?t necessarily all that bad. Sometimes it?s the best thing that can happen to a team, especially when they are developing because the younger players have more time to play under far less stressful conditions.?

Often Waldron has had to remind the current bunch at Stars how the likes of Randy Butler, Arnold Manders and Gary Brangman also had to pay their dues before progressing on to become three of the Island?s top cricketers in their day.

?They were once labourers themselves and then after several years they mastered their trades,? Waldron added. ?So at the moment I have all labourers and pretty soon they will become skilled and fully qualified and that is when everything will finally come together. And like the Lord says: ?What a day of rejoicing it will be?.?

Stars have also been without key players and national team members Mukuddem, Durham and Treadwell Gibbons jr who have at one time or another accompanied the senior national cricket team on overseas tour this season.

Regular wicketkeeper Jekon Edness has also been studying abroad in the UK.

?We have had a lot of players out of the team whereas I know we would have been much more controlled in our game plan had they been with us,? Waldron said.

?Not that their presence alone would have guaranteed different results . . . but some of the basic things I think would have been done much easier such as field placements and application.

?But that?s okay because we have young bowlers coming through the ranks and young Dennico Hollis who is going to be one of the top all rounders and really something to look forward to in the near future.

?He has desire, and once he learns how to control that desire it will carry him a long way.?

And despite having been relegated, Waldron said his first year coaching at Stars has been a ?pleasurable? experience so far.

?I get more pleasure now because I?m coaching from grass roots up,? he added. ?I don?t have a team containing the Arnolds, Richardsons or Brangmans . . . . I don?t have any of that any more.

?And one thing we will not do is go out there and grab players like we had a tendency of doing in the past.

?And this, I think, is something we should have done a long time ago with players such as Maurice Lowe and Robinson.?