One of baseball's top teams is targeting the Island as a breeding ground for future Major League players.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have identified Bermuda as the "next baseball developing country'' they should visit, with the signing of a player a top priority.

But some claim Island players could miss out on the opportunity because Bermuda's baseball programme is curtailed when youngsters reach 16 -- and in some cases earlier.

International consultant for the Dodgers, Leon Taylor, said: "We want to look at kids 15 to 18 years old, who are good athletes. They should be fast, big (projected height of six-feet plus) and strong.'' Only last year, Taylor signed a young Jamaican, Ross Andre Murphy, who was spotted during clinics at several of the country's high schools.

The 18-year-old, a basketball player and decathlete, had no prior experience but, according to Taylor, out of 70 players he stood out, having "exceptional bat strength and arm speed for someone who had not played before -- tools the Dodgers' staff felt they could work with''.

Murphy has since joined the Dodgers' academy in Venezuela on a two-year contract.

But, Taylor added: "Since Bermuda has an established baseball programme, the players there will be more experienced than those in Jamaica and in other areas where I am now working at developing baseball.'' The project is set to go before the Dodgers' head of scouting and development, Jim Stoeckel, for financing and approval.

But Brian Calhoun, an experienced coach on the Island who has also acted as a Dodgers scout, warned the most promising players could miss out because Bermuda does not have a competitive league for those over the age of 15.

Calhoun, a former junior player with the New York Mets, said at least three exceptional youngsters had already slipped through the net. And he fears one of the Island's top players -- who has just turned 16 -- may become the fourth.

Calhoun, first enlisted by the Dodgers for scouting duties in 1992, wants the Youth Athletic Organisation, who run leagues in the East of the Island, to instigate a competition for 14-16 year-olds -- at least. The Principal Crown Counsel with the Attorney General's Office, Calhoun said the opportunity was too good to be missed.

"If the Dodgers signed just one player it would put Bermuda on the map -- at which point the American colleges would become interested,'' he said. "We could then potentially get children on baseball scholarships.

"And not just that, if they have been playing in Bermuda up to the age of 17 they would have a chance of getting on the college teams. If you shut down at 15, I don't care how good you are, you're never going to make the team. It would be asking a lot to step in against all the kids who have been coached in that intervening period.'' However, Cindy Hollis, chairman of the YAO, pointed out: "The point about our age groups is that they are established in line with international Little League for fairness and safety reasons. We have an upper limit right now of 15 but that is not to say that can't go higher -- but we need the numbers.

"Last year was the first year of the senior league (13 to 15-year-olds) and this year we anticipate registering 35 in that age group out of around 300 children in the programme overall.

"If older players wanted to register and we could get enough bodies -- around 35 would enable us to have three teams -- we could look at setting up an older league, although I wouldn't specify 14-16 year-olds.'' But she warned against too much optimism.

"An adult league was formed last year and they took players as young as 16.

But they did not garner much support and there were just two teams.'' The situation has been further complicated by the YAO's decision to move the age qualification back a month from July 1 to August 1.

Calhoun said this meant those players turning 16 in July would be ineligible, despite the fact that they would be 15 for the whole season, which runs from April to the end of June.

And he argued that the Island could have up to six teams in the 14-16 age group, if Bermuda Youth Sports Programme, the body running baseball in the West end, was to collaborate more with the YAO.

Hollis, however, cited international Little League rules once again as one reason for the change ,along with moves to bring the YAO in line with the BYSP. But she promised that anyone who was 15 throughout the length of the coming season would be able to participate.

And she added: "We are now interacting with the BYSP more than before and it makes sense for us to be on the same playing field. We fully support the initiative of professional teams to come to Bermuda and identify youngsters who have the talent to play pro baseball.''