Trouble appears to be brewing just two weeks before the start of the new cricket season.

The game, which last year barely survived an acrimonious row involving umpires, is scheduled to get underway on April 16, but there are already signs that all is not well.

While few cricketers or administrators were yesterday prepared to air their concerns publicly, The Royal Gazette understands that a three-way battle has emerged between clubs who allegedly still owe umpires' fees from last season, Bermuda Cricket Board of Control (BCBC) and Bermuda Cricket Umpires Association (BCUA).

The issue of money, specifically the registration and umpiring fees owed by the clubs, is said to be causing concern among both the BCBC and BCUA.

Two West End clubs, Somerset and Somerset Bridge, are reported to owe a combined $2,400 to the umpires alone. And it is rumoured that the BCUA will refuse to officiate matches involving those clubs until a payment schedule is agreed.

Somerset Bridge president Kenneth Simmons, while not denying that the club owed money to the umpires, said yesterday he was unaware of any planned boycott.

"I don't know anything about it,'' said Simmons. "They'll probably be boycotting a lot of games if that's the case.'' Simmons explained that many sporting clubs, particularly the black institutions, were not generating the type of money most people believed they were, generally because of falling membership and a lack of dedication from those within the club.

"Everything the club has to get done, repairs, upgrading, we have to pay for and hire someone,'' said Simmons. "The membership is not like it used to be, where you had guys who would help out in their spare time, donating their services for the sake of their club.'' Other concerns leading into the new season include a reported dissatisfaction among umpires and players regarding the new format under which the game will be played and apathy on the part of many players to the degree that at least three clubs are struggling to field teams.

St. George's Cricket Club president and long-time umpire Mansfield Smith last week criticised the BCBC for setting up a structure that would require Premier Division teams to play on Saturdays and Sundays for the majority of the season, claiming it was asking too much of players who had to work five days a week.

Keith Wainwright, captain of Southampton Rangers, who was critical of the BCBC's policies last season, agreed with Smith, saying that many of his players would not be able to play on consecutive days on the weekend.

"Obviously the first concern that comes to mind is work commitments,'' said Wainwright. "In the past many of our players have worked on Saturdays just so that they can play on Sundays. I don't know if the Board got any feedback from the clubs when they came up with their plans for the season. "Obviously they have a reason for using this format, but I can't really think they are going to achieve their goal.'' Wainwright said he also wanted clarified the Board's policy on discipline, specifically as it related to the amount of time between an alleged offence and the subsequent disciplinary hearing.

Meanwhile, the BCUA are concerned that they had no input about the decision to play on both Saturdays and Sundays, and believe the new format will put heavy demands on umpires at a time when their numbers are already low.

One official, who did not wish to be named, said that some umpires had become "alienated'' as a result of last season's dispute and their availability for this season was still not known. "There is a lot of doubt over whether they will be umpiring at all this season,'' he said.

Clubs, meanwhile, have been slow in preparing for the season and it has been reported that three in particular, Somerset Bridge, Hamilton Parish and Flatts Victoria, are having difficulty in fielding a Premier Division team.

An official at Flatts, however, reckoned that his club would be ready for the season, while no one could be reached for comment at Hamilton Parish.

But Bridge are facing a real dilemma and while they remain optimistic, there are signs of doubt in their camp.

"Yes, we are having a bit of trouble but we are looking to have a senior and a junior team. An exodus of players is making things tough on us,'' said Simmons, who may well have to don the whites again this year just to make up the numbers.

He suggested that the attitude of players needed to change so that they became more responsible and loyal to their clubs. There was also a need to recruit more youngsters to ensure the game survived as a major sport.

"The younger lot want to play the short games like basketball, along with the other American sports and the traditional soccer, which is popular world wide,'' added Simmons. "They just don't seem interested in something that takes almost all day and they're drifting away from the game.'' The Bermuda cricket squad chosen to tour Florida are reminded to attend a training session at Garrison Field, St. George's, at 9.00 a.m. tomorrow.