The four member clubs of the Eastern Counties Cricket Association are still waiting for close to $35,000 that has been owed to them since November.

It is understood that the delay is because of money having been stolen from a car near St David’s Primary School. The missing amount is $34,700, which represented takings from the spot sales for the three-match series played in St David’s last year.

As a result, St David’s County Cricket Club, Cleveland County Cricket Club, Bailey’s Bay Cricket Club and Flatts Victoria Recreation Club are still awaiting funding that otherwise would have been distributed by the ECCA by now.

Representatives from the clubs told The Royal Gazette that they had received little to no communication from the association about when or whether they would receive the money.

However, Steven Douglas, the Eastern Counties president, has said that good news is on the way. “Everything is forthcoming and the clubs will be updated in the very near future,” Mr Douglas said.

St David’s is waiting for the largest chunk of money — close to $20,000 — as it was the host club for the 2015 series, which was steeped in controversy after the first round, when champions Cleveland were stripped of the cup and then reinstated after an ill-tempered match against Bailey’s Bay.

The rest of the funds are meant to be divided among the other three clubs.

“We all know the money went missing,” Otis Minors, the St David’s president, said of the June theft. “We have reps who go to the ECCA meetings who report back to the club, but I haven’t heard anything yet from them regarding the situation.

“We are giving them [the ECCA] time after the holiday, but we are now well into the new year.”

The money was stolen during a meeting of the ECCA. A 6ft alleged culprit, described to be of medium to stocky build, was seen fleeing by foot along Great Bay Road.

The Bermuda Police Service confirmed that an investigation took place into the crime, but are otherwise flummoxed. “We have no leads or suspects,” a spokesman said.

Asked if the lack of funds has had any impact on the club, Mr Minors added: “We are able to operate, but not in the capacity we would like to. If I had the money, I would be able to pay off some bills; I have distributors I need to pay off and things like that. They are knocking on my door. I’m not saying I don’t have anything, but I’m trying.”

Carlton Smith, president of Cleveland County, said: “If we get the money and everything is straight then everybody is happy. I will definitely need it by the end of February because we have a cash incentive programme for my club cricketers. Once we get all the stats done up, we give them money.”

Arrim Perinchief, president of Bailey’s Bay, said that all he had heard from the ECCA was that the issue had not been forgotten.

“They haven’t given a statement about how they are going to recover the money at all,” Perinchief said. “Our rep hasn’t received any information. It will have a negative impact if we don’t receive it. We are just waiting patiently — that is all we can do.”

A spokesman from Flatts said: “We have not received any money. I guess they are still working it out. The only communication we have had from them is that they will be having a meeting soon.”

Lloyd Fray, the president of the Bermuda Cricket Board, confirmed that the board sanctions county cricket, but “has no control over the organisation or internal affairs of the organisations themselves”, which remains a sticking point for those who are aggrieved by the indiscipline shown during the series and which led to the abrupt resignation of a leading umpire, Oscar Andrade.

The board, however, does run the Champion of Champions tournament, which pits the best of the counties against one another. That event ended in ignominy with the lifetime ban of Cleveland’s Jason Anderson and a six-game ban for George’s O’Brien, of St David’s, who was appearing as a guest player for Willow Cuts, the Western Counties champions.

Their televised fight on the pitch during the final epitomised the indiscipline seen throughout cricket in 2015 and was distributed to millions around the world via the video-sharing website YouTube.