Against his wishes, Noel Gibbons is being forced out at Bailey's Bay to make way for youngsters. Bay are prepared to sacrifice the 43-year-old all-rounder to ensure the youngsters they have at the club don't get discouraged and leave. And that message has already been sent out by the omission of Gibbons, one of the most talented cricketers ever produced in Bermuda, for tomorrow's season opener with St. David's. Gibbons was supposed to retire from the Eastern Counties last season, which would have marked 30 years since he made his debut for Bay. However, Gibbons disclosed this week that he actually made his Counties debut in 1969, not 1968, making this year his 30th anniversary, a milestone he is anxious to reach. Gibbons is due to return to England next week to rejoin Wycombe House in the Middlesex Championship where he is player-coach. He is planning to play for them for a few weeks before captaining a World Select team again on a three-week tour of Hong Kong, Singapore and Fiji. After that his plan was to finish the season with his local club in the hopes of being selected for the Eastern Counties final on August 28. But there is no guarantee from chairman of Bay's selectors, Nolan Walker, that Gibbons will be picked. "Right now we've got a lot of youngsters around and we're not prepared to lose them,'' said Walker, admitting the Gibbons situation was discussed during team selection on Thursday night.

Walker agreed that Gibbons could not be faulted for his love of the game and said that today's players could learn much from him in that regard.

Unfortunately, Gibbons may be forcing the club's hand by trying to play on.

"We were under the impression that last year was his final year,'' said Walker. "We really appreciate the service that Noel has given the club but at the same time we have a lot of youngsters. And if we don't look after them they are going to go. We have a situation with young players that a lot of clubs would like to have and to me it's not fair to disregard them.'' The club are planning to meet with Gibbons this weekend to discuss his future with the team. "We intend to sit down with Noel and talk with him about our plans,'' said Walker. "We don't know what's going to happen a month or so down the street and we're not saying we have completely written him off.'' Several years ago Gibbons was dropped from both the the St. George's Cup Match and Bermuda teams. To also be dropped from the Counties, where he holds the record for most runs and wickets, would be devastating, he says. "I got strangely omitted from Cup Match and strangely omitted from the national team. I don't think I can live with being forced out the way I was forced out of the other two teams,'' said Gibbons. "It would be the worst possible treatment I could ever receive.'' Gibbons, who has never played for any other club, acknowledges that Bay have some talented youngsters coming through. But he doesn't feel he should just make way for them. "Cricket has been my life, it has carried me around the world three or four times,'' he said. "It's my first love and I don't want to be pushed out like some players that I've seen over the years.

With Bermuda sports in general, age is a real factor here. "Once a person passes a certain age they become a geriatric, a veteran and it's time to get out of the game. But if they are still performing and keep themselves half-way fit they should carry on until they think it's time to stop.'' Gibbons thinks he can co-exist with the youngsters. "I wouldn't say I would be there just to keep youngsters away,'' he stressed. Gibbons made his Counties debut at age 14 and was a colt in Cup Match at the age of 16. "I feel a youngster should have to fight for his spot like I did when I was a youngster, not just throw them in because they are young.'' The elegant batsman admits he has heard such comments from Bay fans, the same way some St. George's fans called for him to be dropped near the end of a Cup Match career that spanned 23 years. "I always said I would bow out when I feel that Bay's youngsters have matured enough to carry the club,'' said Gibbons. "Over the years I never, ever thought about playing for anybody else. I remember one year we lost some top players and the only senior players left were myself and Chris Smith and that year we ended up coming third. "Even at this age I feel I can still be named as one of the best all-rounders on this Island.'' Elegant: Noel Gibbons, a long-time servant of Bailey's Bay, feels there are plenty of strokes left in his bat.