The 2014 domestic cricket season has gotten off on the back foot.

The Bermuda Cricket Board announced yesterday that the season-opening Belco Cup — due to commence tomorrow — has been postponed because of the unavailability of three of the four venues that were to host the matches.

The Royal Gazette can confirm that Somerset, Wellington Oval and St John’s Field were all not fit for play.

Had the tournament schedule gone ahead as originally planned, cricket fans would have been treated to play-off matches involving Western Counties rivals Somerset Bridge and Willow Cuts at White Hill Field, Cleveland meeting Devonshire Recreation Club at Wellington Oval, Western Stars taking on St George’s at St John’s Field and Somerset hosting Bailey’s Bay.

News of the dilemma has sparked criticism among the local cricket community.

“What happened to the [BCB] field committee?,” Gladstone Brown, the former Devonshire, Somerset Cup Match and Bermuda batsman, said. “Wouldn’t it be best to find out what fields are available before you put out a schedule? That is the way it used to be done. I guess things are different now.”

Clay Smith, the former Bermuda captain, also weighed in on the matter. “Clubs have had a good five weeks to get their wickets ready,” he said. “It is very unfortunate because anybody that loves cricket would have been looking forward to finally seeing some cricket.

“However, if it means delaying the tournament for one week to have proper, hard, even-bounce wickets, then it is worth it.”

The Belco Cup will now commence on May 10, with two venue changes from the original schedule, which will have Devonshire taking on Cleveland at Devonshire Rec and Bailey’s Bay hosting Somerset.

The revised schedule means that some teams involved in the play-off will have to play two matches in as many days.

The winner of the match between Cuts and Bridge will play the winner of Bay versus Somerset on May 11. The winner of Devonshire and Cleveland will play the winner of the match featuring Stars and St George’s on the same day.

Southampton Rangers, the Belco Cup holders, and St David’s, the defending Logic Premier Division, Eastern Counties and Lindos T20 champions, will take on the two teams that emerge from the play-offs in the semi-finals on May 17 at Somerset and Lord’s in St David’s. The final will take place the next day at Lord’s.

After nearly three decades as a four-team competition, the Belco Cup has been expanded to ten teams this year — a change that has been met with mixed reaction.

With the Belco Cup having been placed on the back burner this weekend, the 2014 season will now commence on Sunday with a Logic First Division match at White Hill Field that has been brought forward from May 24, with Somerset Bridge facing Bermuda Under-17.