Bermuda board's World Cup junket criticised

Bermuda's Royal Gazette has reported that some members of the Bermuda Cricket Board have been given an all-expenses-paid trip to the World Cup final in Barbados. The paper claims that the cost of the trip will come from the board's own funds.

Five of the executive board are expected to be at the match. Reggie Pearman, the president, will be a guest of the ICC and two others have paid their own way.

Jon Brunson, Bermuda's shadow sports minister, queried whether the trip was an appropriate use of funds. The board received $11 million from the government last year to help boost the game.

"I would hope that this information is incorrect, but if it is correct, I would suggest that the BCB executives take responsibility for their own passage to the World Cup because that is the right and sensible thing to do," Brunson said. "Bermuda was told that the $11 million was designated for a specific purpose, most importantly youth development, infrastructural re-design, the players that worked hard to qualify for the World Cup and a few other cricket specific initiatives.

"This is clearly outside the preview, vision and intent of how the funds were to be spent. It is not a requirement that the Board be there. Bermuda is now out of the competition, and the money could be better spent investing in the young cricketers and the youth cricket programme." The newspaper said that a board spokesman declined to comment.