A FEW weeks back it was suggested by a writer to Sports Mailbox that Cup Match be switched from its traditional venues at either end of the Island to National Sports Centre.

Hardly surprisingly, no one at St. George?s or Somerset ? or anywhere else for that matter ? took the proposal too seriously.

After all, the annual cricket classic has been played in the east or the west for more than a hundred years. The carnival-like atmosphere created by each club on alternate years is uniquely Bermudian and couldn?t possibly be carried over to somewhere so staid and characterless as the NSC.

Perhaps, more importantly, for both St. George?s and Somerset, Cup Match is a source of substantial revenue, the potential loss of which wouldn?t be risked by moving the game elsewhere.

From a practical point of view, however, the idea might be worthy of consideration.

The pitch, outfield and general facilities would all likely be an improvement on what either Somerset and St. George?s can offer, not to mention additional seating for spectators.

Regardless of those plusses, we can safely assume it won?t happen.

Yet there comes a time in all sports when a break with tradition is worth considering.

And that time may well have come for Bermuda?s other sporting classic, the May 24 Marathon Derby.

On Monday, 400 or more hardy souls will make the trek from Somerset to Hamilton, following a route which has remained more or less the same for the past 25 years.

But it wasn?t always that way. From the early part of the 20th century through to the early 1970s, the annual event took place over a number of different routes, all varying in distance. Runners competed from Hamilton to Somerset, Hamilton to St. David?s and vice-versa.

And there?s no good reason why in future years the route couldn?t again be alternated on an annual basis, much like Cup Match.

Providing the distance remained approximately the same ? around 13 miles ? few of the runners would mind. As it stands now, it isn?t a recognised distance ? measuring slightly less or slightly more than the accepted 13.1 mile half-marathon. No one seems exactly sure, least of all the organisers.

Course records, unlike those in many other road races, don?t seem to carry a great deal of importance. For the top runners, winning is everything, regardless of the time. For those just outside the ?elite? it?s a matter of competing well within one?s own age division, and for the rest it?s simply an agonising battle for survival.

A change might just add a little more spice to a sport that has diminished in popularity in recent years ? thanks in part to the BTFA who use both International Race Weekend and the May 24 Marathon to swell their coffers and then proceed to plough absolutely zilch back into road running for the rest of the year.

It would, of course, also offer the eastern parishes a chance to witness the big event from their own doorstep, as well as the Sinclair Packwood Memorial cycling race which has become an increasingly popular side attraction.

A new route would do nothing to detract from the Derby. And it might just provide a shot in the arm for a sport which is crying out for help.