One of Bermuda's most senior umpires has withdrawn his services for the remainder of the season because of the failure of the Bermuda Cricket Board of Control to deal swiftly with a disciplinary matter.

George Trott, who represented Bermuda as an umpire during the last ICC Trophy competition in Holland three years ago, has been forced to take this action as a result of an incident occurring after the Benson and Hedges final at Devonshire Rec. on July 4 when he and McDonald Swan both called St. David's fast bowler Dale Fox for throwing.

Fox and teammates Lionel Cann and skipper James Pace were each subsequently involved in heated and abusive arguments with Trott -- one allegedly going as far as shoving the umpire out of the way as the official tried to cross his path.

Trott was unwilling to discuss the matter yesterday, but he did confirm that his unavailability during the last few weeks was because of the incident. The tone of his voice clearly indicated how irritated he was with no action being taken.

"Yes, it's true that I have withdrawn my services but I would rather not comment on the matter at this stage because we are planning to meet with the board,'' said Trott yesterday.

Other members of the Bermuda Cricket Umpires Association remained silent about the matter, but The Royal Gazette understands that a report on the incident was immediately sent to the board who in turn passed it on to the Combined Counties to deal with since the competition was being run by them.

One umpire, who did not wish to be named, felt that the board was "passing the buck'' when it came to dealing with the incident, claiming that all disciplinary matters in cricket should be handled by nobody but the governing body.

The umpires have become reluctant to comment on issues in fear of being penalised by the board which was the case of their president Randy Butler, who was suspended early this season for offering criticism on outstanding disciplinary reports that were reported by the BCUA.

Reginald Pearman, vice president of the board, yesterday supported the board's decision to pass the matter on to the Combined Counties.

"I know that a report was sent to the board and we in turn sent it to the relevant parties, the board is not in charge of that competition,'' was Pearman's reaction when questioned about the matter.

Calvin Christopher, president of the Combined Counties, similarly had few words on the issue, saying: "I have no comment on the matter. It is being looked at.'' However, regardless who is to blame the fact is that Bermuda has lost the services of one of the most respected umpires and the threat of Trott giving up officiating altogether could become a reality.

This would undoubtedly place a further strain on those remaining in the fold as there have already been numerous occasions this season where one and sometimes both umpires assigned to a match have failed to show.

Speculation is that the no-show tactic is their way of taking a firm stand against the poor disciplinary policies that exist in local cricket. But some umpires can shoulder some of the blame after failing to lend their support to Butler when he was penalised for speaking out against BCBC policies.

GEORGE TROTT -- Has withdrawn his services for the remainder of the season because the BCBC failed to deal promptly with a disciplinary matter.