SO once again the Mid Island Striders, one of Bermuda?s most successful and popular track clubs in recent years, have been left out in the cold.

For a third time they have been denied affiliation with Bermuda Track and Field Association, and as such are not recognised by the governing body.

Their young athletes, among them some of the most talented in the sport, will continue to be denied an opportunity to compete for their country.

It?s a ludicrous situation, and while the BTFA, in a letter sent out to all of their affiliate clubs and the Sports Minister, have gone to great lengths to explain why the Striders have again been excluded, it?s pretty obvious that this dispute isn?t about rules and regulations but a conflict of personalities.

It?s clear that president Judy Simmons and national coach Gerry Swan have no time for, and perhaps even feel threatened by Striders coaches Bill Euler, Renalda Swan, Tony Bean and the like, and will take whatever steps are necessary to ensure their continued isolation.

After all, Striders have done ten times more to promote the sport during their short existence than the BTFA have done in more than three decades.

And in any case who the heck are the BTFA to talk about rules?

When was the last time they abided by their own rulebook?

We haven?t seen a financial statement since Lord knows when. We have no idea how their funds, most of which seem to be spent on jetting Swan and Simmons around the world, are dispersed.

They don?t give a hoot about road running, an arm of the sport which provides the majority of those funds.

And in terms of international success, securing athletic scholarships and fostering goodwill among athletes, they?ve been an abject failure.

In any other national sport, Swan and Simmons would have been booted out eons ago.

Yet they have the gall to accuse Striders of flaunting regulations.

It may be, if everything in the BTFA?s letter can be accepted as fact, that Euler?s club could have done much more to help their cause.

But the fact remains that the victims of this long-running dispute are a group of dedicated young athletes who are being ostracised through no fault of their own.

If Striders and the BTFA can?t resolve their differences, it?s time for somebody else to ensure that they do.

Over to you, Mr. Minister!

NEW national cricket coach Gus Logie will trim his squad to 18 players this weekend and in less than two weeks? time will name his final 14 for the trip to Ireland for the ICC Trophy.

Bermuda?s hopes of qualifying for the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies will then rest squarely on their shoulders.

For no matter how anybody plays during the domestic season over the next couple of months, it seems their chances of breaking into that elite squad are next to none.

Logie made it clear that it would be extremely difficult for any new player to make the team at this late stage, given the training and other preparation that has already taken place.

And he?s probably right.

But given that the cricket season has only just begun, any player hitting a rich vein of form over the next few weeks might find that decision hard to swallow.

Perhaps the door could be be kept ajar.