Could the 2004 season go down in history as a watershed in the fortunes of local cricket?

For over two painful decades, cricketing administrators and club officials have allowed the game to slip into the depths of despair.

With the rest of the world's cricketing minnows, such as Canada, Kenya, Namibia and Bangladesh - teams that Bermuda regularly used to beat - embracing radical change and investing heavily in their infrastructure, Bermuda went entirely in the other direction.

And while it is difficult to deny that this season did not contain its usual quota of controversy, confusion and administrative hiccups, there does now appear to be light at the end of the tunnel.

The creation of a technical committee to consider a drastic overhaul of the playing structure was a long overdue innovation and a welcome sign that it had finally dawned on the Bermuda Cricket Board that the status quo was no longer cutting the mustard.

A radically reformed league structure saw a reduction in the number of limited over competitions and the introduction of two-day cricket - a move which was initially met with considerable scepticism from Board affiliates but which has nonetheless gone down well with the vast majority of local cricketers.

Yet tangible improvement is not going to happen overnight.

Not one single team managed to survive for their allotted 70 overs batting first this season, a trend which may well continue over the next few years as decades of bad habits and indiscipline are gradually ironed out.

But what was wonderful to see was clubs waking up to the idea that the Two-Day league is an ideal environment in which to blood their young players; to give them the opportunity to bat and bowl over long periods and to help them appreciate the tactical subtleties of the longer game.

This can only be good for the long term vitality of cricket in Bermuda and it was a refreshing change to see clubs coming on board with apparently little fuss.

The biggest disappointment of the summer was undoubtedly the announcement in July that despite considerable effort and investment, Bermuda's bid to host World Cup games had been rejected by the organisers - although they did sugar the pill somewhat by naming the Island as the first reserve venue.

However, the Board now finds itself in the awkward position of having to continue to prepare in case they are required closer to 2007. There is, though, a powerful line of argument that suggests the money invested in hosting warm-up games should be spent on getting our own house in order.

At the end of August, national coach Mark Harper was released by the BCB, who claimed at the time that they were no longer in a financial position to offer the Guyanese a new deal.

This, of course, was a spin of which Premier Alex Scott would have been proud. The Board have every intention of appointing a new national coach from overseas in the new year and the main reason behind Harper's departure was the very real concern within the governing body hierarchy over his communication skills and his ability to command the respect of the national squad.

This season also witnessed one of the busiest schedules of international cricket in recent memory, with the national team involved in the Americas Championship, the newly-formed Intercontinental Cup and the visit of Barbados and a disappointingly lacklustre West Indies.

Given limited match practice before the international season got underway - with the visit of Lloyd's Cricket Club in June proving woefully inadequate preparation - Bermuda acquitted themselves as well as could have been expected.

Against Canada and the USA in the Americas Championship, Clay Smith's side got themselves into positions where they could have won, only to lose their way at the crucial moments.

The Island's campaign in the Intercontinental Cup did not go as well, as Bermuda lost at home to the US and only avoided defeat by the skin of their teeth against Canada in Toronto a month later.

But despite the disappointment, it is difficult to be critical of a team which was thrown in at the deep end of three-day first-class cricket with little or no experience of the game at that level. It might take a while, but Bermuda's time will come in that competition.

And while the tour of Barbados and the Windies was overshadowed by the poor nature of the pitch at the National Sports Centre, producing two farcical games of cricket, Bermuda's surprise victory over Barbados in the final match of the tour hinted at the possibility of future success.

The positives?

Clay Smith's captaincy was nothing other than first-class this summer and the BCB must be applauded for having the courage to appoint a man who was once seen as a troublesome, anti-establishment bad boy.

He is a man who revels in a challenge and Smith has succeeded where others have failed in crafting a core of players around him who have the utmost respect for his authority. His disciplined batting in several challenging situations this summer was an inspiration to all.

Provided his wonky knee can withstand the constant punishment, the St.David's player/coach may well remain the man at the helm for some time to come.

Secondly, the emergence of several promising youngsters in the shape of Stefan Kelly, Dion Stovell, Jacobi Robinson, Delyone Borden and OJ Pitcher is certainly heartening, with Kelly in particular receiving glowing reports from under-23 head coach Allan Douglas after a trying campaign at the West Indies under-19 championship in Jamaica.

On the downside however, the continued absence of a seam bowler of genuine quality, capable of removing good batsmen with the new and old ball, could undermine Bermuda's chances of success in Ireland next year, while despite the large amount of fitness work completed over the winter, the team is far from dynamic in the field with so many thirty-somethings in the team.

Picking up the half chances in the field against the stronger sides in the ICC Trophy could be the difference between victory or defeat and it remains to be seen whether this local side can hold their own in that area.

Cup Match at Somerset Cricket Club this year was pleasingly competitive, with Clay Smith saving the day for St.George's on the second day with a typically gritty century. The decision not to allow Saleem Mukuddem time on the second morning to go on and break his skippers' Cup Match batting record generated impassioned debate both on the boundary edge and in the press, but the South African, who had yet to be dismissed in two visits to the crease at the annual classic, still walked away with the lucrative MVP award for his beautifully crafted 160 not out.

On the domestic scene, three clubs dominated proceedings. Western Stars picked up the Belco Cup and the Premier Limited Overs League title while St.George's walked away with the Premier Division Two-Day Championship and the Premier Knockout Cup.

In the First Division, all conquering Social Club, bolstered by an influx of talented players over the winter, were undefeated on their way to the league and cup double.

In the Counties competitions, defending Eastern Counties champions Bailey's Bay clung on to the coveted silverware despite three successive draws against spirited opposition while unfancied Devonshire Rec. upset Social Club in the Central Counties final at The Den. In the West, a Southampton Rangers side without skipper Janeiro Tucker lost out to an impressive Warwick outfit.

But while the nature of the playing format has undoubtedly taken a turn for the better, the absence of quality practice facilities at the vast majority of club grounds continues to undermine the Board's concerted efforts to raise standards.

A brief perusal of the weekend scorecards is evidence enough that local players are suffering from the lack of decent practice time in the hands of knowledgeable coaches. In limited overs cricket, teams regularly gave up 20 wides per innings or sometimes more while one or two teams conceded close to 70 extras in the field - the vast majority of them wides.

And the technical deficiencies are not confined solely to the bowling. As under-23 head coach Allan Douglas hinted at earlier this year, with a few exceptions, Bermudian batsman possess only two gears - neutral and fifth - and have little concept of accumulating steadily by keeping the ball on the ground and penetrating the gaps in the in-field.

Until clubs locate the finances to invest in their infrastructure and improve their practice facilities and coaching personnel, this culture of bad habits and mediocrity will persist.

As the sun sets on another cricket season therefore, there is clearly still much to be done if Bermuda is ever to return to those heady days of the 1970s and early 1980s, when the national team were considered one of the strongest of the ICC affiliate members.

Yet there are now increasingly positive signs that the local game is moving in the right direction and as long as those in positions of influence are continually willing to listen to and act upon new ideas, there is no reason why a local team could not be gracing the field at a World Cup in the not too distant future.