Bermuda's national sport -- football or cricket.

Football would appear to attract more players and certainly more spectators.

But if you were to ask any sports fan outside the Island, particularly in the UK, which sport they associated with Bermuda, then the answer would undoubtedly be cricket.

That's probably because in years past our national team have enjoyed far more success at the international level than anything the soccer team have achieved.

Players such as the late Alma (Champ) Hunt and Clarence (Tuppence) Parfitt have also strengthened the belief overseas that cricket is the game at which we excel most.

Clyde Best back in West Ham's glory days of the '60s and 70s and now Shawn Goater and Kyle Lightbourne, both with English professional clubs, have shown we can also produce some pretty good footballers.

But by and large -- and unfortunately because there are still many overseas who believe Bermuda is part of the Caribbean -- we are inextricably linked with cricket.

Yet it's now been some years since our national team did anything to justify the Island's reputation as a cricketing nation -- their last significant success was back in the ICC Tournament of 1994 when they reached the semi-finals. In 1984 Bermuda also made the semis and it was in 1982 they played in the final.

While it would be unrealistic to expect the current national squad to return triumphant from next week's Red Stripe Bowl in Jamaica where all of their opponents will include current West Indies Test players, it is perhaps high time we produced something away from our own shores which at least proves our development programme is on the right track.

Under the stewardship of BCBC president El James and with the diligent coaching of Allan Douglas, aided by some short-term help from South African Test player Daryll Cullinan, strides have been made.

But where it matters most, on the field, Bermuda need to show they can again be ICC Trophy contenders.

And they can start next week in Jamaica.

As Douglas pointed out earlier this month, we've run a few teams close in three previous trips to the Red Stripe -- but so far not a single win.

Without players such as Clay Smith (suspended) and Janeiro Tucker (injured), snapping that dismal record won't be easy.

However, with the likes of prolific batsman Albert Steede and the seasoned Charlie Marshall in the side, there's no reason to believe we can't put some big numbers on the board.

As a Test side, West Indies are no longer the team everyone once feared and it's probably fair to say that teams such as Jamaica (who will be missing Jimmy Adams), Guyana and the Windward Islands, likewise, have enjoyed better days.

The time is ripe for Bermuda to again establish itself as a proud cricketing nation. With a little self-belief and a lot of determination, the players heading south next week can do just that.

BERMUDA'S International Race Weekend might be almost three months away (January 14-16) but local runners intending to compete will need to decide pretty quickly which of the three races they want to run.

That's because the entry deadline has been brought forward to November 30 after which the entry fee doubles -- a decision which, not surprisingly, has angered some athletes, who point out it's unfair that they should be forced into making a choice a full seven weeks before the event.

Under the new guidelines, entry for the marathon is $25, the half-marathon $15 and the 10K $15 providing forms are submitted by November 30.

After that the marathon fee jumps to $40 and the half-marathon and 10K are doubled to $30.

And if you still haven't entered by January 7, the price for all three rockets to $50. Add to that a $30 BTFA registration fee, and road running in January can become a rather expensive recreation.

However, race weekend volunteer Pam Shailer makes a valid point in explaining the change in deadline.

Past experience has shown that a backlog of Christmas mail and delayed post due to bad weather in the US has resulted in some overseas entries arriving just before or even after the races take place.

And with Race Weekend targetting primarily the visiting runner, particularly those among the large number of charity groups who now compete, the new deadline is aimed at ensuring their entries arrive on time.

Perhaps the answer then is to have different deadlines for overseas and local runners -- a suggestion which Shailer admits will be discussed next year.

-- ADRIAN ROBSON