Cricket Board of Control because of a shortage of players.

Barry Souza, chairman of the club's sports committee and manager of the team last year, confirmed that the decision the club most dreaded was made after an executive committee meeting on Tuesday night, which was followed by a meeting with some of the club's players. The BCBC was informed of the club's position yesterday.

"It's a sad day for National Sports Club and a sad day for cricket,'' said Souza.

The club had tried unsuccessfully in the last few weeks to keep their programme alive, and had even been advertising for a coach, which produced just one reply.

Nationals won the Central Counties Cup two years ago, which enabled them to qualify for the Benson and Hedges Cup for the first time.

But despite finishing the 1991 season as the most improved team, they found it difficult to keep their programme florishing. The return to school midway through last season of captain Darrin Lewis also did not help.

Nationals were competitive for most of last season when they were regularly in the top three, before settling for a mid-table finish. The year before they just missed out on a Camel Cup place when they finished in fifth place.

This year there just has not been the interest and three of the club's top youngsters, Mark and John Ray and Jason Lewis, had expressed desire to leave if the team did not look like being competitive this season.

From last year's team, all-rounder Chris Wright has returned to England, Gary Knight, their English-born opening batsman, has changed jobs, and Lloyd Fray and wicket-keeper Winston Simmons are both in the church while Terry Thomas is a policeman and may have problems getting time off to play.

"Jason, Mark and John were not really happy about playing if there were going to be guys there making up the numbers,'' Souza explained. "They didn't really want to leave -- their hearts are at Nationals and they said that -- but they do want to play at a high standard.'' Souza confirmed that all three players told him that they are planning to join Devonshire Rec. He said they were very bothered about being overlooked for the present national training squad and felt a move might increase their chances of achieving their international ambitions.

"They said that if we were able to attract some decent players they would have stayed,'' Souza added. "We're not attracting any players, which is a shame because there are some great facilities down there.

"In the last couple of years we've been very competitive in the league. A guy like Danny Fagundo (president) has bent over backwards for cricket at the club.'' Despite some very promising youngsters coming from the area -- Albert Steede, Chris and Troy Bean, Rodney Woolridge amongst them -- to make the Devonshire (Parish) team the best in the Shell Youth League for many years, Souza said there is difficultly attracting promising black youngsters.

"There are not a whole lot of young white players coming along playing cricket and we're not going to attract any black players because there is a lot of peer pressure out there,'' he said.

"I take my hat off to a guy like Bruce Perinchief who has stuck with Nationals since he was a youngster and hasn't played for anyone else. His heart is at Nationals and he is very broken up by Nationals not having a team.'' Souza feels the board should consider returning to the `Super Eight' format so that teams rebuilding could compete in the lower division.

"I take my hat off to the cricket board of control with the outgoing and incoming tours but I would honestly like to see eight teams in the Premier Division and eight in the Second Division,'' he said.

"We could play in the Second Division and bring a few youngsters along because we can't afford to put 14 and 15-year-old guys up against bowlers like (Anthony) Pacer Edwards and Terry Burgess.

"This Reserve Division just doesn't work, umpires and teams don't show up. In the last couple of years we've probably played two or three games.'' JASON LEWIS -- Heading to Devonshire Rec. with Mark and John Ray.