weekend.

The foreign players on the Island for an international tournament ran naked through a hotel and dropped their trousers on Front Street after visiting a nightclub.

Onlookers were stumped for words as young cricketers, claimed by an onlooker to have English accents, mooned outside Hamilton's Oasis in the early hours of Sunday morning.

And stunned guests at Paget's Palm Reef Hotel watched in amazement as a player stripped naked by colleagues had to make a run for his room and more clothes.

A taxi driver who witnessed the scene outside Oasis said: "They sounded English -- they were singing rugby songs and then they dropped their pants and showed their buttocks.

"It was really bad behaviour. They were guests in Bermuda and should have had more courtesy -- there were young women present.'' Last night England team manager John Abrahams said members of his team had visited Oasis for a short time on Friday night -- but went to nearby Flanagans and left at 1 a.m.

He added he was satisfied none of the English teenagers were involved in any improper conduct.

A spokesman for Oasis said he was aware of "a huge group'' which left the club "well-lubricated'' -- but added he had only personally met Irishmen and Dutchmen.

In the incident at Palm Reef, one player -- thought to be Dutch -- was grabbed by friends and stripped. He had to run naked upstairs.

Another of the youngsters who had his clothes ripped off was spotted using a jacket to cover his modesty.

One young woman who was in the hotel at the time and who asked not to be named, said: "They were all playing practical jokes and they tried to take off people's clothes. While I was there, there were about two who were stripped.

"It was very uncomfortable -- I don't think they should have been running about a public place naked. Some people knew who they were and said they were Dutch.'' A spokeswoman for the hotel -- which more than 100 cricketers, coaches and other support staff staying there -- played down the incident.

She said: "It was just one thing which happened -- we were happy as a hotel.

"They were very well-behaved as a whole. If it was just one incident, it could have been a lot worse. A lot of worse things have happened.'' A spokeswoman for the Bermuda Police added that no complaints had been received about any incidents involving tournament competitors.

Teenagers aged between 16 and 19 from seven countries attended International Youth Tournament -- the 12th of its kind and the second time it has been held in Bermuda.

Players from Bermuda, England, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, Holland and Denmark took part in the week-long competition. The English squad were eventual winners, with Ireland finishing second and Bermuda trailing in last place.

President of the Bermuda Cricket Board of Control Ed Bailey said he was not aware of any bad behaviour by players. He said: "This is the first time I've heard of this. The hotel certainly didn't have any complaints. "All the reports were pretty solid on all of the teams. Nothing happened on the field -- it's amazing no-one said anything. "But there were 105 boys here -- unless they were all monks straight out of a monastery, you could expect some high spirits.'' CRICKET CRI