Bailey’s Bay will hold an emergency meeting at Sea Breeze Oval tonight in a last-ditched attempt to resolve a row that is threatening to tear the club apart.

With the final round of the Eastern Counties just two days away, Bay players are still refusing to train as they stand firm over their backing of suspended duo Stephen Outerbridge and Cory Hill.

The pair were banned for speaking to the media about St David’s decision to pull out of this year’s Eastern Counties competition, and the club has been spiraling towards civil war ever since as administrators refuse to back down on the ban. The players are also refusing to budge and appear to be sticking by their threat to boycott if the suspensions aren’t lifted.

With a team due to be picked this evening, Bay sources have confirmed that the club are considering selecting a team made up entirely of guest players if the Bay players do not train this evening.

“We will have an emergence meeting tonight at our club at around 8pm, and I can’t say any more than that at the moment,” said Kent Gibbons, the club secretary. “The players will be training tonight, I have spoken to the coach, and they will be training tonight.”

Gibbons’ confidence in the training session taking place may well be misplaced however. While the players have been sent a text advising them to turn up for the session, as one player put it: “That doesn’t mean we’re going to go.”

And the situation could get worse still, with several Bay players indicating that if the row isn’t resolved tonight to their satisfaction, then not only will they boycott the Eastern Counties match on Saturday, but will also seriously consider not taking part in the Twenty20 competition that is due to begin on Sunday.