Sports officials last night angrily rejected claims by Opposition MP Tim Smith that their clubs benefit from drug dealing on their grounds.

Some clubs admitted drug dealing was a problem, but said they worked with Police to try to kick out the dealers who attended matches.

Mr. Smith's comments, made in the House of Assembly on Friday, have caused uproar in football and cricket circles.

Club officials said Mr. Smith should name the clubs to the Police if he has evidence they are involved in illegal activities and asked why he did not order a crackdown when he was Sports Minister in the last United Bermuda Party Government.

Mr. Smith, the Shadow Education Minister, said it was "relatively well-known'' that drugs are dealt openly at many sports grounds.

He added: "There is a common knowledge that some sports grounds derive a benefit from drug-dealing on their premises.'' He called for club organisers or trustees to be taken to court for allowing drug-dealing on their premises, and said the grounds could be confiscated under the Misuse of Drugs Act and Drug Trafficking Suppression Act.

The president of Somerset Cricket Club, Colin Smith, said yesterday: "As presiding officer, I know that Somerset Cricket Club does not benefit from any of that type of situation.

"Unfortunately, like anywhere else in Bermuda, there is an element always present carrying out practices (drug dealing), and yes we do have that presence at times.

"We try to get assistance from outside agencies (the Police) but that doesn't manifest itself as much as we would like.

"We try, but these people still get in our grounds no matter what you do, and without the assistance of outside agencies, it is very hard for the clubs to prevent this.

"You ask the outside agencies and they say it's very hard to come and police this situation.'' "I was really taken aback by his comments. He was a former Sports Minister and the same policies were in place. Rather than putting the burden on someone else's shoulders, he should have been more pro-active himself.'' Mr. Colin Smith said he was not aware of any club profiting from drug dealing, but added: "If there is any club that is benefitting from it, then by all means they have to know what they are doing is wrong and if they are found guilty they have to suffer the consequences.'' The former president of Southampton Rangers, Aldwyn Savery, said: "When I was president we didn't benefit from drugs and I know the current president has come down hard on drugs and is trying to clean the place up.

"Far from (benefitting), we were actively trying to discourage drugs to the point where we included the Police and they responded at that time.

"I can't comment on other clubs, but if the former Minister feels that's the case and he's aware that people are doing it, he should really name the clubs so something can be done about it. I really don't know what he's talking about.'' A spokeswoman at Somerset Bridge Club, who asked not to be named, said: "Absolutely not! I was quite taken aback by it. I don't know where he would make an assumption like that because it seems very far out.'' SOCCER SOC CRICKET CRI