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BCB still to discuss Hemp concerns

Bermuda Cricket Board (BCB) have yet to meet to discuss concerns raised over David Hemp’s captaincy.Earlier this week The Royal Gazette revealed that several senior national cricket squad players have expressed a desire to have the former English County player replaced by someone they can relate to on a more personal level.Reports have also reached The Gazette suggesting that national squad cricketers would prefer to have the UK based Hemp train with them in Bermuda in the lead up to international competition rather than joining up with his team-mates at the eleventh hour on tour as is more than often the case.BCB president, Lloyd Fray, acknowledged as far back as January 26 that concerns surrounding Hemp’s captaincy have been brought to his attention.“There has been some concerns from players which has come to the Board via our Selection/Outreach Committee through their discussions with various players,” he said. “The Board will meet soon to review the report in full and will respond accordingly.”However, as of yesterday the BCB’s top brass had yet to review a contentious matter that is understood to have impacted on Bermuda’s preparations for next month’s ICC World Twenty20 global qualifying commitment in Dubai.Fray and Hemp both declined an offer to comment when approached yesterday.Hemp succeeded Irving Romaine as Bermuda captain in August 2009, with his appointment to the top post arriving four months after starring with the bat during 2011 World Cup qualifiers in South Africa.The ex-Glamorgan batsman amassed the most runs (557), topped the tournament batting averages (185.67) and hit the highest individual score, an unbeaten 170 against Uganda.Incidentally, his first assignment as Bermuda’s captain was against the Ugandans at the National Sports Centre in the ICC Intercontinental Shield.Whether or not Hemp should be replaced as Bermuda’s captain has been met with mixed reaction within the local cricket fraternity.There are those such as former Somerset Cup Match player Andre Manders who believe that Hemp is still the right man for the job.“Hemp has a lot of experience and I don’t know what the big deal is because I didn’t see any disconnect during the last games here (MCC Tour),” he said.But Hall of Fame cricketer Dennis Wainwright begs to differ.“I think having David as captain has served its purpose and we should be able to find a captain among all the clubs here,” he said. “What we need to do now is start concentrating on our local players because I don’t think it’s necessary to continue with the captain we have.“He doesn’t play league cricket (in Bermuda) so consequently he can’t develop a rapport with our local cricketers which is so necessary now. And if this is a concern now then it’s going to be an even bigger concern later, so we need to deal with the situation now.”