Cricket's popular Camel Cup competition will kick off the new season on the weekend of May 4 and May 5, Bermuda Cricket Board of Control have confirmed.

The tournament will feature the top four teams from last season's Premier Division with two semi-finals being played on the Saturday and the winners meeting in the final a day later.

"`Yes, we will be starting the season off with the Camel Cup but no venues have been confirmed so far. We are about to get confirmation on what fields will be available," said Board president Reggie Pearman.

"`We know that the clubs are working hard to get their grounds prepared between the two sports, soccer and cricket, and a lot depends on what sort of weather we have. But we are hopeful that most of the facilities will be ready around then."

Reigning Premier Division champions St. David's will be the top seeds going into the Camel Cup and will be matched against the third-place finishers St. George's while second place Western Stars will play fourth-placed Southampton Rangers.

The east enders won last year's final, beating Western Stars by three wickets at Southampton Oval.

Pearman said that tentative plans called for regular league play in the Premier and First Division to get underway on May 12, and expected confirmation of this in the near future.

The president indicated that it was the intention of the Board to have all league fixtures completed before Cup Match, leaving the majority of Knockout matches and tour fixtures to take place after the big mid-summer classic.

However, he noted that it was probable that some of the preliminary rounds of the Knockout tournaments would be played before Cup Match.

It was just last week at the Board's Annual General Meeting that they announced that for the first time there would be three separate knockout tournaments this season - one featuring the Premier Division sides, another for the First Division and the third a Combined Premier and First Division.

There had been some talk that the Commercial Division teams would be invited to enter the Knockout, but clubs appeared to have ruled this out at the AGM, suggesting that further talks needed to be held between the Board and the Commercial Division.

National coach Mark Harper reckoned it would be beneficial and felt that inclusion of Commercial teams would be a positive move for cricket.

If progress is made during forthcoming discussions then it's likely that the Commercial Division will be admitted to the First Division tournament.

Meanwhile, Bermuda Cricket Umpires Association continue to prepare their members for the upcoming season and are asking all current members and any others wishing to join their ranks to attend tonight's annual general meeting at the Department of Youth and Sports, starting at 7.30.

"We are hopeful that many people will come out and support us because this is going to be a long, busy season and we are going to need every bit of help we can get," said secretary Randy Butler.