Bermuda Cricket Board have slammed veteran umpire Randy Butler for comments he made in an interview published in last Friday's Royal Gazette concerning what he believed was the reluctance of the Board to impose harsher punishment on assistant national coach Herbie Bascome who is alleged to have smashed down the stumps in a Premier match last August.

And in a statement released late on Friday, the BCB also took a swipe at this newspaper for what they claim was a misleading report, penned by senior sports reporter Colin Thompson.

But the Board's version of events when Bascome knocked down the stumps while playing for St. George's against St. David's at Wellington Oval on August 24, are in stark contrast to those provided by umpire Butler and Thompson, who consulted with two BCB officials and two Bermuda Cricket Cricket Umpires Association (BCUA) officials who all verified eye-witness accounts of the incident before writing his story.

In an e-mail statement sent out by BCB executive Neil Speight on behalf of Board president Reggie Pearman, the BCB claimed that Bascome had not destroyed the stumps intentionally. Instead, the governing body said Bascome immediately attempted to repair the stumps.

That in itself, said the Board, contravened cricket rules and that was why he received only a reprimand rather than a suspension when he appeared before a Board disciplinary committee.

But the Board's statement doesn't concur with the official report submitted by umpire Kent Gibbons (see separate story on this page).

Umpire Butler said the veteran player should have been severely punished as it was not the first time he had been brought before the disciplinary committee.

"Due to the severity of the incident I think Herbie should have received more than a reprimand and I don't think the BCB did their homework in this case.

"I think for all the records the BCB keep on file, they were far too lenient in Herbie's case."

Former Cup Match star Dennis Wainwright has also hit out at the BCB for not imposing harsher punishment on the player.

Last season Southampton Rangers Kwame Tucker was slapped with a four-game ban after knocking down the stumps following his dismissal.

Gazette reporter Thompson said yesterday: "After learning of Herbie Bascome's alleged incident I consulted with two Bermuda Cricket Board (BCB) and two Bermuda Cricket Umpires Association (BCUA) officials who all verified eye-witness accounts of the incident.

"We first broke the story on September 11, three days after Bascome went before the BCB disciplinary committee. The BCB never revealed that Bascome had received a reprimand.

"On September 19, we published a follow-up story alluding to Bascome's case – 11 days after the assistant national coach went before the disciplinary committee. Only then did the BCB acknowledge that he had not "intentionally knocked down the stumps . . ."

"The BCB never explained why they allowed Bascome to play a leading role as assistant national coach during Bermuda's Intercontinental Cup match against Namibia, knowing that he had to face impending disciplinary charges."

BCB president Pearman said: "I am gravely disappointed and somewhat frankly amazed at the statements attributed to Mr. Randy Butler regarding a matter where he is completely ignorant of the facts. I am heartened to have official confirmation from the BCUA that his comments are without the authority of their management or membership.

"Had Mr. Butler taken the time to ask what happened before making ridiculous unfounded comments he would have found out or been told that in the disciplinary hearing Mr. Bascome maintained that he did not knock the stumps down intentionally. The reporting umpire, Mr. Kent Gibbons, corroborated Mr. Bascome's version of the events by confirming that having fixed the stumps, Mr. Bascome left the field immediately.

"The committee informed Mr. Bascome that it was not his role to repair the stumps and reprimanded him accordingly. In light of Mr. Gibbons' version of events the facts did not support the charge that Mr. Bascome did not leave the field immediately."

"Once again, The Royal Gazette and Colin Thompson have failed to verify the facts of the matter or make any attempt to contact the Board to enable them to present a balanced story. In particular, his comparison with an offence in a prior season is completely invalid and misleading."

Bascome refused to comment on the incident when he spoke to The Gazette on Friday.

Royal Gazette Sports Editor Adrian Robson said last night: "It appears the BCB are again attempting to disguise their own shortcomings by shooting the messenger.

"Had they informed the media that their assistant national coach was to be brought before a disciplinary committee, rather than hide the issue from the public, the controversy might not have erupted.

"Bascome has been a great servant of Bermuda cricket and continues to support the sport, but there's no reason he should be treated differently to other players when it comes to discipline.

"We challenge the BCB to show that disciplinary action has previously been taken against any player for allegedly "fixing the stumps".

"And despite what Mr. Pearman has said, the umpire's report does not 'corroborate Mr. Bascome's version of the events'.

"The BCB are a governing body funded largely by taxpayers' money and the public have a right to know when one of their top officials is hauled before a disciplinary committee, regardless of the charges.

"We stand by Colin Thompson's report."