Canadian Cricket Association president Banwarilal (Ben) Sennik has poured scorn on rumours that next week?s Intercontinental Cup match against Bermuda could be in doubt.

Cricinfo ? the seminal cricket website ? reported that with just a week to go before the Island side jet off to Toronto, the match has been thrown into doubt due to a row over the venue.

The preferred venue for the match in Toronto, it claims, remains undecided, with the initial choice ? the Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club (TCSCC) ? ruled out after the Canadian Cricket Association (CCA) failed to reach an agreement with the ground authorities.

But Sennik has described the story as ?absolute nonsense? adding that the Sunnybrook venue would be hosting the game.

That ground, however, has bare soil on the mottled wicket intended for the match, with pictures published on the Internet site showing the wicket in dire condition.

Furthermore, the surface is far from flat, and it is almost inconceivable that there is enough time before the tie ? which is scheduled to start next Friday ? to put things right. The facilities at the club are also very basic, consisting of just a simple pavilion ? a venue comparable to St. John?s Field and certainly not a ground capable of staging a major international match.

The TCSCC is clearly the major ground, having hosted the Sahara Cups in the 1990s, and the one assumed by outsiders to be the natural choice. But the CCA refused to agree to the financial demands of the owners, starting the desperate hunt for an alternative. According to a senior official of the TCSCC, the CCA only formally approached them on July 26, less than three weeks before the match, even though the TCSCC had been asking for clarification of the board?s intentions since April. A source at the club confirmed to that there was ?no way this game is going to be played here?.

But Sennik is happy that there are no problems with the choice of venue.

?This is all absolutely ridiculous,? he said.

?There is no doubt about this game whatsoever. We have grounds galore here and we have picked Sunnybrook, which is a lovely venue, shaded by the trees and the pitch is in excellent condition.

?It would be good enough for a five-day Test match. No, no, there is nothing to worry about. We are looking forward to receiving the Bermuda team, playing them at Sunnybrook and beating them.?

He revealed the concerns over the pitch had been so strong that a Californian club called him yesterday offering to stage the game if the Canadians could not find anywhere suitable.

Neil Speight, chief executive of the Bermuda Cricket Board, said he had seen the story on the website and was somewhat concerned.

?This was the first we had heard of this,? he said.

?We had always assumed the game would be played at the TCSCC although this had never been confirmed. As far as we are concerned, the flights are booked and we are heading over there to play in this game.

?We will be putting some calls in to the International Cricket Council and the CCA to find out exactly what is going on.?

He added that he had been in correspondence with the ICC early yesterday morning over ?housekeeping issues? but the subject of confusion over the ground had not come up.

Bermuda were beaten by the US in the same competition on home soil over three days, a week after being beaten by both the States and the Canadians in the Americas Cup.

Canada had beaten the States earlier in the year in the Intercontinental Cup, installing them as firm favourites to progress.