Sports Minister Dale Butler has called on the cricketing fraternity to end their ?public scraps? for the good of the sport.

In a hard-hitting interview, Butler ? whose Government has just promised to inject $11m into the sport over the next few years ? has urged those peddling criticisms of the Bermuda Cricket Board in the Island?s newspapers to take their grievances direct to the Board or even to his Ministry instead.

A succession of former players and administrators have spoken out in recent weeks against the current Board, claiming it is being run like ?a dictatorship? and that the best men aren?t at the helm, and it is comments such as these that have drawn the Minister?s ire.

?It?s not helping cricket, no way, no sir,? said the ever-articulate Minister.

?I have seen a few names coming out and having their say on the sport but we need to put an end to these public scraps. These comments are undermining the Board but more importantly they are undermining the players.

?It is not good for the players to be reading such things, it undermines their confidence and their abilities. There are ambitious plans afoot in Bermuda cricket and now, more than ever, we need to be all pulling in one direction.?

Butler insisted that the Government isn?t just going to throw the $11m at the Board without proper measures in place to ensure the money is being correctly spent but backed the current administration who put together the original plan to overhaul the national sport and take Bermuda cricket to the next level with both investment in the national team and in the Island?s infrastructure.

?From what I can see we are dealing with a Board made up of honest, decent, competent people,? continued Butler.

?But we are not going to take any chances and we are meeting with them on a monthly basis to ensure the plans are going to be put in place as promised.

?We are not just giving them the money, each dollar will be fully accountable for but I have every confidence in the people in charge and until such time as it is proved otherwise, I see no reason for all this public criticism.

?If anyone has anything to say, they should say it directly to the Board and if they are not satisfied with the response, then come to the Ministry ? I have absolutely no qualms in putting any concerns to them directly, face to face.?

Butler is not ignoring the complaints of the succession of former greats who are coming forward with their complaints of maladministration, promising to put to the Board ?at the earliest opportunity? concerns about the dictatorial nature of the Board?s processes.

?We have heard some of these things and we will be putting it to the Board and urging them to work in the most transparent possible way,? continued the Minister, who has been vocal and gung-ho all summer about the national side he has dubbed the ?North Rock Warriors?.

?But in future, these complaints should not be just flung around in the papers, there is a more practical way of doing things and I would like any concerns to go through the proper channels.?

Butler, as is often his way, then began waxing lyrical.

?It is what we call the Bermuda Factor,? he continued in full flow.

?When Moses produced the ten commandments, Bermudians said there should be 12. When God made the earth in seven days, Bermudians said they could have made it in five.

?It is our way, we question what everyone does and say ?we could do it better?. Well, if you want to be involved then get involved by taking your objections to the Board and to our Ministry.?

Returning back to normality, he revealed that in the Board?s $15m package of improvements that range from paying for national team tours to Africa to improving school facilities, there was only one major element that was rejected by Government. Plans for a purpose-built winter training facility were turned down as being too expensive.

?The Board are not dreamers,? he added.

?They knew they could dream but dream practically and they have done so without being expensive or extravagant. Although we have some very ambitious plans for the national sport, it was decided that building an entirely new facility was going to be too large an expense and the plan was rejected early in our discussion.?