Top sportsman Clay Smith began having problems with his knees a few years ago while in college in the United States.

Before that, several years of playing cricket during the summer months and soccer in the winter no doubt contributed to the problems.

"I started having knee problems about six years ago while I was in school playing soccer,'' explained Mr. Smith.

"I had my knees operated on, obviously one knee at a time, and it was basically from playing cricket and football over the last 15 years consistently without taking a break between sports.'' The 30-year-old Mr. Smith, regarded as one of the country's top batsmen, is a key member of the national squad which will be competing at the ICC Tournament in Canada this summer. He is also a former Bermuda youth international in soccer, but that sport is taking a back seat right now.

"As of now I'm just concentrating my energies on cricket and leaving the football part aside,'' said Mr. Smith, though he hasn't ruled out playing again.

"We'll wait and see, it's touch and go right now,'' he said.

"I've considered playing one or two more years just to let my son and daughter see me play, they haven't seen me play much.'' After sitting out the whole soccer season, Smith is anxious to begin the cricket season with his club, St. David's, when they take part in their first match of the season next weekend. Time is running out.

"Truthfully I don't think it will be ready for the beginning of the season but because we're starting off with the Camel Cup I'll probably play anyway and limit my actions as much as possible during the game,'' he revealed.

"I'll definitely still play, unless it gets to a point whereby the pain becomes too severe, but of late it's getting better. Over the last four days (last week) she (Mrs. Dill) has worked with it every day and I have seen improvement already.

"At first my mobility was really limited but she worked it out and I'm getting more mobility. But I still have deep pain under the kneecap and that's what she's working on.'' Added Mr. Smith: "This is a freak injury because last week I was in here (Mrs. Dill's office) because I had an achilles injury (left leg) from training for cricket.

"Over the weekend from training with St. David's I started feeling a bit of pain (in the right knee) and it just got worse over the weekend. This knee has been causing me more pain but the other one is just as tight.

"I went through a process whereby my knees felt fine but the doctors told me way back then that in five or six years time I may need them to be cleaned up again because you get a lot of scar tissue.'' Knee problems run in Smith's family, from his father Mansfield to older brothers Ray and Wendell, all involved in various sports over the years.

"Clay is a typical case of everything that is messed up,'' said Mrs. Dill.

"His kneecap is jammed, his IT bands are tight, all the components that could possibly screw up your knee he has wrong.'' One drawback in amateur sports is the lack of qualified personnel within clubs to deal professionally with various injuries and help the athletes with conditioning. Proper stretching and strengthening exercises only become a part of most athletes' lives after they have sustained serious injuries.

"That's the disadvantage we have as amateurs,'' Mr. Smith said.

"If you look at the professionals overseas they have that access day in and day out, that's why they have a tendency to come back from injuries a lot quicker than we as amateurs would.

"Because we're not able to fulfill our potential on a professional basis, I don't have any regrets.

"I would have liked to have put more emphasis on my cricket and maybe would have been able to go abroad to England a lot sooner than what I did. Then I could have stood a better chance of making a career out of it. Cricket was always my first love.'' Most cricketers play until their late 30s and Smith plans to continue on for a few more years.

"I'm looking to play as long as I possibly can, hopefully I can get another good eight years out of it,'' he said.

"My main concern right now is to make sure I don't aggravate it too much prior to ICC. it's about being sensible about it.

"My biggest problem is the love of the game. Even though I am injured I would still want to push it but I have to be sensible and think about the big picture which, in reality, is the ICC.'' Said Mrs. Dill: "A lot of athletes do run their bodies down, but they don't take care of their bodies the way they should. That's one of the things I talk about when I end up seeing the track and field athletes. They are only 14 or 15 years old and should be more flexible than I am, not less flexible.

"Athletes abroad go above and beyond the call. Look at our athletes who are away and what they do compared to our athletes who stay here. That's because they get trained into that mentality.'' On Friday, physiotherapists Mary McCabe and Jill Bewsher discuss shoulder injuries.