is facing serious problems.

With just under a month to go before the start of the popular limited overs tournament -- which Bermuda entered for the first time last year -- the West Indies Cricket Board of Control are apparently struggling to get the competition underway in time.

It is understood that Bermuda are among several countries who have not received any sort of update covering critical details -- such as venues and dates that have reportedly been altered -- about the event.

And even more of a priority for the WICBC appears to be a last-ditch endeavour to find new sponsors this year. Red Stripe of Jamaica is currently being courted to take over that role.

Public information about the tournament is sketchy. The Bermuda Cricket Board of Control is not commenting and even the Jamaican Cricket Board of Control and the Barbados Cricket Board of Control -- each of whom were contacted by The Royal Gazette yesterday -- had little to offer.

In declining to comment, BCBC president El James said he was honouring a request by the WICBC.

"What can I say. They have asked us to withold offering any comment until we hear something conclusive and official from them. Until then we are just as much in the dark about what is going on,'' said James.

Privately, however, some Bermuda officials, anxious to finalise travel arrangements, are said to be throughly dissatisfied by the manner in which the West Indies board are handling the matter and are debating whether to give a deadline for confirmation before making a decision to withdraw altogether.

While Jamaica and Barbados haven't assembled a national team for the event, Bermuda have long been in training and just this week picked their touring squad.

Coach Allan Douglas has put them through rigorous training with a hope of improving on their inaugural appearance a year ago, when they lost all six matches.

Checks with Barbados and Jamaica officials yesterday revealed that those two countries were also unsure of what was occuring behind the scenes -- a sign that the WICBC are struggling to put together the tournament.

"We haven't heard anything yet from the West Indies cricket board,'' said Rollins Howard, business manager for the Barbados Board of Control. "We know that the tournament is not in Barbados. We understand that it was being held in Grenada and St. Lucia and now Jamaica, but this is just hearsay.'' "With time running out, we expect to here something shortly. Barbados are in the midst of their cricket season and we haven't even selected a squad for the tournament, there is no heavy training or preparation underway for it.'' Bermuda are scheduled to meet Barbados in the opening match on October 4, originally scheduled for Grenada.

Jamaica were drawn against Guyana on the same day in St. Kitts but their board's office manager, George Prescott, was also unsure of what was happening.

"We haven't heard much official lately, but we understand that the West Indies board is actively negotiating with Red Stripe of Jamaica, who are reportedly taking over the one-day tournament,'' said Prescott.

"It's being said that part of it is going to be played in Jamaica and the other in another island and then there will be the final somewhere else like it was last year but we don't know. Time is running out and we expect to hear more about this soon.'' But if it's being held in Jamaica, then that country's newspaper, The Daily Gleaner, didn't know about it.

"Nothing much is being said about that here in Jamaica, in fact Jamaica do not know where they are playing,'' said one reporter.