With its cliffhanger ending, this year's Cup Match turned out to be a cricket clash to remember but most of the action, according to retailers, seemed to be confined to the cricket pitch.

An on-site survey of vendors at the Somerset Cricket Club and a follow-up with retail merchants yesterday indicated Bermudians are finding it harder and harder to part with their money, and were it not for an influx of visitors this year's mid-summer holiday would have been a quiet retail affair indeed.

As one Front Street merchant put it "thank God for the cruise ships.'' Davison's of Bermuda general manager Kim Ballhagen told The Royal Gazette the strongest performer of their Island chain of eight stores was the Dockyard Clocktower outlet at Sandys Parish.

"We had a lot of visitor traffic from the cruise ships and they reported the best volumes by far.'' The hottest selling items: a line of popular t-shirts which retail for under $8.

Ms Ballhagen noted that Davison's 73 Front Street store also enjoyed a good weekend but most buyers appeared to be visitors.

Although The Yankee Store was closed for Cup Match Thursday and Friday, owner Neal Stephens said his Reid Street operation doesn't count on Cup Match fever anymore.

"When I bought this place in 1963 Cup Match was a sort of day you reckoned with and made sure you had lots of stock on hand. It's not anywhere like it used to be,'' he said from his cramped downstairs office.

"Since the '90s there seems to be a lot less spending. We used to sell a lot of jewellery around Cup Match, sell it by the tonnes. Now we still sell it, but not like before.'' Bermudians, speculated Mr. Stephens, are using the extra-long weekend to leave the Island to go shopping overseas.

Roger Davidson, President of H.A. & E. Smith, agreed: "Local spending habits have changed, with more affluent people taking advantage of the time to travel,'' he told The Royal Gazette .

"We used to see a Cup Match surge, but over the years I think it's changed.

In the past fans would come in to buy their Cup Match outfits and bathing suits but I think it's really tapered-off.

"In some respects it's a shame because Cup Match is a two-day holiday that's unique to Bermuda,'' he said.

Now, said Mr. Davidson, the mid-summer break is just one more event in the retail year: "We have back-to-school, Mother's Day, Easter. But Christmas dominates -- that's the make-or-break time.'' Peter Cooper, Managing Director of A.S. Cooper, told The Royal Gazette business was brisk leading into the long weekend, "but I don't think we did as well as previous years.

"I still think retail businesses are still suffering from the recession,'' Mr. Cooper said.

Sales are also down in Cooper's outlets located in major hotels, indicated Mr.

Cooper, a result of decreasing occupancy rates and a slumping tourism industry in general.

Still there were bright spots on Cooper's Cup Match front. Dresses and sarong scarves were hot-selling items and in abundance at the Somerset Cricket Club, store staff reported.

John Casling, owner of Daina Limited, which has eight retail stores on the Island, said that "sales over Cup Match were flat -- running about the same as last year. Local spending was about the same, but our sales reflect the lower number of tourists that are on the Island as our operation is based on visitors.''