Stamping out the bad behaviour and making sure the season runs smoothly, and to schedule, are the Bermuda Cricket Board's main aims for the upcoming domestic season.

Automatic one-match bans, loss of points, and a hardline approach that will see teams forfeit the toss if they are late for games are all to be enforced this year.

And the BCB are also on the verge of introducing a yellow card system to try and put a stop to the kind of behaviour that sees players swear at team-mates, the opposition, and umpires on a regular basis.

"Nowhere else in the world is this kind of behaviour accepted or tolerated," said BCB vice-president Allen Richardson.

"It's time cricketers in Bermuda realised that.

"We have let it go on for far too long, but no more.

"If a player refuses to walk, swears at an umpire, or at the opposition they will be immediately written up."

In the past umpires have sometimes felt let down by the BCB's lack of action in certain matters, but Richardson insisted this would change.

"The BCB will have the umpires' back this season, we are determined to stamp out disrespect," he said.

And the speed of any disciplinary action will improve as well. This year an umpire's report will have to be in on Monday afternoon, with any disciplinary issues being dealt with at a hearing on the Thursday.

However, the cricket board are also toying with the idea of issuing automatic one-match bans for certain offences, without the need for a time-consuming hearing.

In this instance players and clubs would have the opportunity to appeal if they felt they had a genuine grievance. However, if it were decided that the subsequent appeal was frivolous, then the ban would be extended to two matches.

There will also be fewer opportunities for clubs to re-arrange games this year, with the board considering a straight forfeit of points if clubs fail to satisfactorily explain why they were unable to fulfill a particular fixture.

Not being able to field a side will no longer be accepted.

"This year it's going to be a case of 'this is the schedule, there's no messing around, if you can't make a game then tough'," said Richardson.

The season is scheduled to start on April 26 with open cricket the first competition that clubs play in.

There will be a new format this year with the clubs split into four groups of four based on their league place at the end of last season, at the end of the regular season the four top sides will play off to decide the national champions.

The league will finish on May 4 with the semi-finals and final to be played on May 24 and 30. Fifty overs cricket will begin on May 9, with a brief break on the weekend of May 16-17 when the Belco Cup will be played.

It is anticipated that the 50-overs competition will finish on August 23, with this season's Twenty20 competition starting the following weekend.

Once again there will be two groups of eight contesting the Twenty20 with the semi-finals and final to once again be held at the National Stadium on September 26-27.

The BCB are looking into the possibility that some of the Twenty20 league games can also be played at the National Stadium on a Wednesday or Friday night – the hope being that by doing so, more people will come out and watch.

Open Cricket Groups

Group A: St David's, Rangers, PHC, Somerset

Group B: St George's, Bailey's Bay, Flatts, Somerset Bridge

Group C: Western Stars, YMSC, Police, Warwick

Group D: Devonshire Rec, Willow Cuts, Leg Trappers, Cleveland

Twenty20 Groups

Group A: St David's, Police, YMSC, Cleveland, PHC, Western Stars, Warwick, Somerset Bridge

Group B: Somerset, Leg Trappers, Rangers, St George's, Devonshire Rec, Flatts, Willow Cuts, Bailey's Bay

50-overs

Premier Division: YMSC, Rangers, Police, Cleveland, St David's, Somerset, Bailey's Bay, PHC

First Division: St George's, Devonshire, Western Stars, Leg Trappers, Willow Cuts, Warwick, Flatts, Somerset Bridge