Umpire accused of provoking players

Bermuda cricket is embroiled in another row after a clash in the Premier Division match between Southampton Rangers and St. George's Cricket Club.

In The Royal Gazette, Randy Raynor, the Southampton Rangers vice president, accused Anthony Fubler, one of the umpires, of "provoking" two of his team's most senior players prior to the start.

Raynor claimed that Fubler told some of the Southampton players that he was going to bag "a couple of wickets", and that when he subsequently gave two lbw decisions against Kwame Tucker and Janeiro Tucker their reactions were partly caused by the earlier remarks.

Both were reported by Fubler and are due to appear before the board's disciplinary committee.

"[Fubler] came into the dressing room and said to the players that he got six or so wickets the day before and that he was going to get a couple more today," Raynor told the newspaper. "Janeiro told him to go away and that he shouldn't be talking like that to players before a match. But Fubler told Janeiro that he wasn't afraid of any World Cup players and that he was going to get them. No umpire has the right to do that.

"He shouldn't be doing things like that ... it was as though his actions were premeditated and to think he was the one who gave these two players out really makes you wonder. And I think this is what led to the players' reactions. It was wrong and unjust to say that to my players.

"I don't condone the players' actions, but I think this all started when the umpire came into the dressing room before the match and said what he said."