year appears slim.

Bermuda Cricket Board of Control (BCBC) president Ed Bailey said yesterday that the possibility of having the West Indian Test great play on the Island remained just that -- and there were no moves being made by the Board to secure his services.

"There is no substance to it,'' said Bailey of a report which appeared in last week's Mid Ocean News , stating that plans were afoot for Lara to turn out for Bermuda while here to promote his range of cricket gear in September.

"It was suggested to me by a fellow named Defour claiming to be his (Lara) manager, who was here selling and promoting a line of Brian Lara jewellery, that he could bring Brian here for a week and one of the possibilities was that he could play against Jamaica.

"However, I told him to come back to me with some kind of written documentation in that regard and I haven't received anything yet. And we don't treat anything serious like that when someone just turns up at our doorstep making wild proposals.'' But Bailey said he would make an attempt to contact Lara or someone on his management team next month when he attends a meeting of the ICC affiliates in England, where Lara is currently on tour with the West Indies.

"Don't get me wrong. It would be a great thing if we could get Brian Lara,'' said Bailey, displaying a hint of optimism. "He is an inspiration to the youngsters and it would obviously be great to have him here and possibly visit the schools.'' Another potential stumbling block highlighted by the president was funding, as players of Lara's calibre do not come cheaply.

"Much would depend on what his financial demands would be in terms of appearance fees, but we don't close the door on anything,'' added Bailey.

Brian Lara