Bermuda?s chance to reign supreme in Caribbean squash is being hampered by a lack of funding.

The Island are only sending a 14-player team to this week?s Rosebowl in Jamaica and their chances of retaining the Northern Caribbean team title are slim.

In a competition in which the competing nations of the Cayman Islands, the Bahamas and Jamaica normally send their top 11 male players, Bermuda are only fielding their number one Nick Kyme and number three Gary Plumstead ? the rest of the ?A? squad are ranked joint 28th while the ?B? team are all unranked. Last year, nine of the ten men playing were in the top 24.

There will be no veterans? team competing and only four ladies rather than five ? although three of them are ranked in the top eight on the Island.

Although Kyme, now ranked 80 in the world, and Plumstead should wipe the floor with their opponents, the remainder of the men?s team ? Rob Hopping, Don Mackenzie and Alistair McNeish ? may find it tough.

The ?B? team of Stephen Dunkley, Jeff Roach, Grant Souza, Rob Drysdale and Robin Grant may also find life at the Ligunea Club in Kingston difficult.

Liz Martin, Denise Kyme and sisters Liz and Fiona Self will, however, be competitive in the ladies? event.

Plumstead will also have to fulfil coaching and managerial roles ? normally a job for two extra personnel.

?It?s very expensive for all the players to travel to the Northern Caribbean Championships,? said Bermuda Squash Racquets Association director Ross Triffitt.

?We are not in a position to fund the teams and the players have to pay for themselves or seek sponsorship privately and take time off work to compete. Many companies don?t allow players to take time off as ?national leave? so people are going in their own time or taking unpaid leave ? and we are grateful to those who are competing for Bermuda in this tournament.

?Any money we raise from our tournaments and events goes towards the development of our juniors and the long-term advancement of squash in Bermuda.

?We have similar problems with funding for sending our juniors to compete.?

Due to a similar shortage of cash, Bermuda?s Davis Cup tennis team were given almost $10,000 by Government to compete in the world team tennis championships ? albeit a more prestigious tournament ? and Triffitt would be keen to see grants for squash to help compete internationally.

?It would be nice to be in that position,? he added.

?If we were to receive funding we would be able to guarantee sending the Island?s strongest team down there.

?It is a little frustrating for us that we are not in a position to do that as we have the top players in the region.?

Last year?s team of Kyme, Plumstead, pro James Stout, Nick Wiffen and Tommy Sherratt, who all competed in the recent Bermuda Squash Open, won in the Bahamas for the loss of just one game.