The Bermuda cricket party was due to arrive back on the Island last night: it may be the last thing they do as a unit.

In the next few days, a number of reports -- from the captain, from the coach and from the secretary of the Board -- will land on BCBC president El James' desk. They are unlikely to make particularly pleasant reading.

Skipper Charlie Marshall's displeasure with the approach of a number of members of his squad has been well documented in this newspaper over the last few days.

But there were other observers who also found the squad wanting in many areas and they may find equally harsh words for the team.

All of this is a great shame because the players, some of whom may not have been first choices, showed enormous potential in the first match of the Red Stripe Bowl campaign against Jamaica.

The four-day gap between that and the following matches with Guyana and the Windward Islands, rather than leaving them rested, seemed to have a debilitating effect on their collective psyche.

The standard of Caribbean cricket may not be quite what it was, but most of these teams possess players who can take a game away from you in a very short space of time.

There is little doubt in my mind, that the Jamaica game, which Bermuda lost by 11 runs after the Duckworth/Lewis system was invoked to give them a revised target, rather than instilling quiet confidence, made some players believe they were better than they were. When they got back on the pitch, against the real Guyana, who boast the likes of Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Reon King and the real Windwards, whose bowling is spearheaded by Test quickie Nixon McLean, they regarded them as weak in comparison with the hosts and failed to show the same discipline in their performances.

In addition, when they got to Kensington Park for the latter two matches, they were greeted with a slow but relatively flat wicket. In Alpart, they were helped by a pitch not really fit for this level of cricket which restricted the Jamaicans' strokeplay.

But it is attitude that is likely to figure most prominently in the reports James has to digest. Marshall, it seems, is not the only one to believe his team plays their best cricket at night.

This is not to suggest that there was a great deal of outlandish partying going on into the small hours. There was not. But players, individually or in small groups, certainly did their own thing, lacking the team togetherness that Marshall would have liked to foster.

Marshall was irritated by players complaining about the absence of the suspended Clay Smith, who scored two centuries down here two years ago. His other main gripe was that the team contained too many of what he termed "local cricketers'' -- those that can perform in Bermuda but seem to lose their ability overseas.

In mitigation, it has to be admitted that the preparation for this tournament was not ideal. The Canada tour was over two months old, the domestic season had finished six weeks earlier and practice facilities and matches were hard to come by at home.

Two hard but limited workouts after a long flight to Jamaica were hardly sufficient to take on some Test quality cricketers. But Marshall, and other Bermudians watching, will have been ashamed by the way in which the team capitulated, with barely a murmur of defiance, in the latter two matches.

The bowling, though, cannot really be faulted. There were few unsatisfactory analyses. The batting was another thing altogether.

Marshall carried the main burden, but by the third game it seemed almost too much for even his broad shoulders. The top three scarcely gave Marshall, at number four, time to get his pads on. And the lower middle order showed a propensity for alarming collapses.

Yet there was also a worrying lack of desire to prevent a potentially disastrous situation from becoming a catastrophic one. An example: the Windward Islands, 33-7 at one point against Jamaica, recovered to make 103 and at least make the hosts have to work for the win. Bermuda, reduced to 38-6 against the Windwards, accepted their fate and lay down for a total of 47.

Some players are known to be keen for some kind of recompense from the Board for the time away from their jobs and their families. That, on the face of it, would not seem unreasonable.

But in a typical chicken-and-egg situation, the Board is understood to be reluctant to agree to that until the players' commitment is reflected, if not in results, at least in performances.

Many sportsmen and women on the Island would not get a chance to compete with some of sport's world stars if they had been born elsewhere, where competition for places is greater. They should be overwhelmingly proud to represent their country and if selected should give it every ounce of their concentration and commitment while they are there.

As Marshall commented: "It's not club cricket. We are carrying the flag of Bermuda. We need to stop thinking about ourselves so much and realise we owe Bermuda something for the funds that have been spent on cricket.'' HOW THEY PERFORMED Dexter Smith: Played useful supporting role as opener in the first game against Jamaica, holding up one end but failed to pick up enough singles to keep strike revolving. Ill-advised pull shot put team under pressure in first over against Guyana, but looked in his best form against the Windwards, hitting two or three top class strokes before misjudging a ball from spinner.

6.5/10 Dennis Archer: His medium pace was particularly effective on the wet Alpart wicket but failed to get off the mark in two innings as opener. Looked more comforatable against Guyana and maybe got a couple of questionable decisions.

Very safe hands in the field. 6/10 Albert Steede: Disappointing tournament for one of Bermuda's premier batsmen.

His lack of runs overseas is a mystery considering his ability. Should probably take more responsibility by opening, as he does for his club side.

Sharp in the field. 4.5/10 Charlie Marshall: Led from the front, displayed an array of strokes which excited spectators and the press box alike. Received extremely dubious run out decision as he was beginning to break loose against Guyana. 8.5/10 Richard Basden: Looked useful with both bat and ball, although better figures were returned with the latter. One who should definitely be persevered with.

7/10 Aaron Adams: Two lbws, three balls faced. Hard to make a judgment as one or both of the decisions may have been harsh. 4/10 Irving Romaine: Got a duck in his only game in difficult circumstances batting late against Jamaica. Remained cheerful despite being dropped for next two games and his positive attitude should be adopted by one or two more. 5.5/10 Kwame Tucker: Kept wicket proficiently. Always asked to bat in difficult situations. 6/10 Clarkie Trott: Showed ability with both bat and ball and fielded excellently.

But has a tendency to want to smash most deliveries out of the ground. A little more patience and he could make useful runs down the order. 6/10 Herbie Bascome: Bowled with a great deal of accuracy which was reflected in his economy rate, if not the number of wickets he took. 6.5/10 Peter Philpott: Bowled cleverly, cramping batsmen by coming over the wicket and looking to make the right handers hit against the spin on leg stump. For a man with a century in the domestic season, looked surprisingly at sea with the bat. 6.5/10 Hasan Durham: Picked up five wickets in his 20 overs of fairly flat left arm spin. Safe hands in the field. 6.5/10 David Gibbs: Surprise call-up who was ultimately never given a chance to show what he can do. Should have been played against Windwards. N/A Stephen Outerbridge: Sixteen-year-old off spinner who will no doubt get chances in the future. Took a well judged catch on the boundary to dismiss Nixon McLean while fielding as a substitute for Philpott. N/A Allan Douglas (coach): Very keen and enthusiastic, full of ideas and ran training sessions well. But maybe should have been firmer with players off the field. 7/10 Time out: Bermuda players (from left) Peter Philpott, Hasan Durham, Herbie Bascome, Irving Romaine, Albert Steede, Clarkie Trott, Charlie Marshall and Dennis Archer have a team discussion during Tuesday's Red Stripe Bowl match against the Windward Islands in Kingston.

Charlie Marshall: Bermuda's captain and top performer.

CRICKET CRI