simmer with tournament referee Ian Waddington yesterday disputing statements made by Bermuda Lawn Tennis Association president Keith Fisher and Ricky Mallory.

Fisher had said the tournament sub-committee had erred in placing Michael Way above Mallory, currently Bermuda's number one-ranked player and Mallory was so upset by what he perceived as a slight of his ability that he has threatened not to compete in any further tournaments this year.

However, Waddington, a member of the seeding committee, insisted that the decision was a correct one and, backing up his claim, pointed to the system currently used to determine seedings on the Island, which he said was based on that used by the United States Tennis Association (USTA).

"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but when that opinion is stated without a gathering of the facts and an understanding of the seeding system, it is an opinion that I must treat with a certain amount of skepticism,'' said Waddington in obvious reference to the aforementioned pair.

"The system of seeding tennis tournaments is perhaps a little more complex than the average tennis player understands.

"Factors to consider in seeding cannot be based on whim, caprice or `hunches', but instead must be justified by a reasonable amount of factual evidence. The committee should consider all available evidence, including, but not limited to rankings, current records and current form, types of surface and particularly head-to-head encounters.'' Waddington suggested that if one was to look back over the years at meetings between Way and Mallory it would be found that the former had won the better part of these encounters.

Also noted was that despite Way's prolonged absence from the Island over the past few years it would be unjust to drop him from the rankings as he has been actively competing in tournaments overseas.

"Let me put it this way, right now I think he's (Way) a better tennis player,'' Waddington said bluntly. "Ricky's good, but right now Michael is playing better.

"It was a marginal decision and if Ricky wins the tournament it would not surprise me and in some respects I hope he does.'' Nevertheless, Waddington may have opened another `can of worms' when he intimated his belief that Mallory and partner Steve Bean were "not the best doubles team or the best doubles players in Bermuda''.

His choices were Stuart Smith and Michael Way as individually the best doubles players and boldly reckoned that "if (Smith and Way) played (Bean and Mallory) five times Smith and Way would beat them at least three times''.

While that match is yet to happen Way and Mallory start their singles quest tommorow at the Tennis Stadium with Way taking on Wilfred Gonzalves in the first round at 3.45 p.m., while Mallory has Andrew Kennedy as his opponent at 5.15 p.m.

JACQUI WHITE -- One of the many seeds who will see action this weekend.