Senior Bermuda Cricket Board (BCB) executive Gary Fray yesterday dispelled claims that national team players were in disagreement with the terms and conditions of a second semi-professional contract with the Board and had sought legal advice.

The long-serving BCB executive maintained that he had no knowledge of any ongoing contractual dispute involving the Board and the players, but did divulge that a new contract ? currently on the ?drawing board? ? had yet to be finalised or even presented to his fellow BCB executives.

However, understands that concerned national team players were advised by legal representatives prior to departing for Trinidad last week not to sign a new deal that they were informed failed to comply with the existing Employers Act.

Last February ten national team cricketers signed an initial short-term deal which has since expired.

?This is the first I?ve heard of that . . . the players having any ill feelings towards the contract. And so it must be just a rumour. I know the first contract expired at the end of April and so a new one has to be drafted, and that?s what the Board is in the process of doing right now,? Fray told .

?And as far as I know a new contract hasn?t been presented to them as yet. As far as I have been made to understand it (contract) was still on the drawing board and I haven?t been advised of anything different, whether it has been completed and gone off to the players.

?The last time we met, Neil (BCB chief executive Neil Speight) was in the process of drafting a new contract which I am certain has not been finalised yet. . . it can?t be because it has not yet come to us.?

This would mean that Bermuda?s players will take on Canada tomorrow at Queen?s Park Oval in their first ever One-Day International without a contract.understands that local legal representatives for the players have in their possession documents claimed to be associated with some form of a new proposal from the Board that will be thoroughly explored before any deal is concluded.

Terms of the players? initial contract were backdated from November of last year, with each contracted player receiving a monthly stipend, match fees, a per diem allowance while on tour and performance-related bonuses.

Non-contracted squad members or those sent away to cricket academies overseas would receive virtually the same financial package aside from the monthly salary, according to the Board.

And players who are not paid by their employers while away on international duty would have their salary fully covered by local cricket?s governing body.

?The new contract is in the stage of being drafted now and so they (players) will have to sign off on a new one which I believe will take them up the 2007 World Cup,? Fray added.