A senior Island baseball figure has claimed calls for an increase in age groups in Bermuda are unrealistic.

Dave Brining, president of the Bermuda Youth Sports Programme, who run the sport in the west end of the Island, said the high drop-out rate among youngsters in their teens made the proposition a difficult one.

But he said greater collaboration between the BYSP and the Youth Athletic Organisation, who are responsible for baseball in the east, was underway.

This could eventually pave the way for a league for players over 15, he suggested.

Brining was responding to calls to create opportunities for those in that age group who were "being put out to pasture'' in their mid teens.

Both Island baseball programmes focus on 5-7, 8-10, 10-12, 13-15 age groups.

But with revelations by The Royal Gazette last week that the Los Angeles Dodgers were targeting Bermuda for players in the 15-18 age category, there were fears that promising players risked not getting an opportunity.

Brining said that of around 320 children registering for this year's BYSP programme, just 24 were in the 13-15 senior league (compared to 123 in the 8-10 age group).

Of those, just two were aged 15.

"You can see a pattern emerging from that, I think,'' he said.

"By the time they get to around 15 they have school exams to think of, some begin to work Satudays when the games are played and can't take time off, and other sports such as soccer and cricket grab a lot of the children.'' And he added: "I'm not sure that a lot of the kids who play baseball play because they want to become professionals.'' On the question of collaboration between the two leagues, he said the West had taken a side to compete in the East of the Island at the end of last season and it was hoped the East would make the return journey this year.

But matching up the senior leagues at either end of the Island caused transportation problems which required the time and goodwill of parents to solve.

He said: "There's no doubt the senior leagues would benefit from the competition and the idea has the support of the teams over here but you'd have to get some parents to agree to go back and forth. Some parents don't have cars, only bikes, so that makes things more difficult.'' Of more immediate concern to Brining is the situation in the west end of the Island which leaves the BYSP without a permanent facility for games. They have access to school fields in Southampton and at White Hill Field but have to build the diamonds themselves.

However, Brining said he is to meet with Sports Minister Tim Smith to discuss the possibility of using diamonds at Morgan's Point at the former US Naval Annex.

See Sports Mailbox, Page 15.