Bromley prospects of winning the coveted Kia National League Division One Tennis Championship have been dealt a severe blow with the news that two of the team have been refused permission to fly back from America to take part.

Robert Searle and Nick Cavaday were to have been part of Bromley's six-strong squad in action at the West Hants Club, in Bourne-mouth, for the three-day tournament which starts this Friday.

However, Searle and Cavaday, both at university in America, have been served a double fault to Bromley's challenge to be the first club from the borough to win the biggest club title in Britain. And if that was a double blow, a treble was soon to follow with the news that Bromley's number one player, Jamie Delgado, would not be playing either It left Charles Baylis, Bromley's team manager, with a massive selection headache ahead of the quarter-final draw, which was taking place as we went to press yesterday.

He said: "We made representations to the compliance officer of the NCL College system in America requesting that Cavaday and Seartle be realeased to fly back to England and play for us.

"Although the compliance officer was sympathic with our request, she could not uphold it because the college system only allows players to be released for international event.

"She said our National Championships did not constitute such an event, despite the fact the winner of the Kia title then goes on to play in the European Cup against the respective champions of the other countries, which would be an interantional event.

"Then, last weekend, I received a message from Jamie Delgado, who had been playing in the US Open, to say that he was travelling to Seoul to play in a tournament there instead of for us.

"Basically, we have been scuttled in our bid for the Kia title.

"It's a real dampener because I firmly believed we were in with as good a chance as any of winning it."

Bromley had earlier suffered a setback with the news that the club's star doubles player Oliver Freelove would be ineligible for the final due to an alleged technical breach of a qualifying rule, which allows only allow one top 750-ranked player in the squad.

However, the defection of Delgado means that Freelove is now qualified to play after all.

Baylis added: "I am also getting in touch with the boss at the City firm where Alex Osterriath works to ensure his release.

"Despite the problems with our team selection, I can take positives from this year's campaign and have learned some important lessons from it."