Bailey's Bay captain Chris Smith is not so much angered by umpires Randy Butler and George Francis' offer of bad light to Devonshire Rec. tail-enders Mark Trott and Troy Laws as he is at the state of the game when the offer was made.

Bay needed that last wicket to stay firmly in contention for their first league title since 1978. But Sunday's draw at Sea Breeze Oval now leaves them 16 points adrift of leaders Western Stars with just two matches remaining.

The reading on the umpires' light meter got steadily worse and after Laws fended off six deliveries from Charlie Marshall, the two officials met and then offered the batsmen the opportunity to go off with the reading on the meter being just 2.1. The umpires had made two earlier readings of between six and seven and another at 4.1, which was borderline.

"I was quite surprised,'' said Smith last night of the decision. "The most we can do is accept it because Randy Butler is the president of the umpires association and George Francis is the secretary, but I don't agree with what was done.

"You could see if they did it when seven were out but why wait until nine were out. That just blew it for us. We were in a position to win the league if Stars slip up. Now Stars can run away with it without any pressure.

"This makes Western Stars more confident and takes pressure off their backs.

I can't believe with the stage the game was in the umpires would do something like that.'' Butler responded by saying: "We follow the law and when we made the offer it was dark enough, regardless whether it was seven out or nine out. We're not there to assist either team. A lot of people there went away with the impression that the umpires called for bad light, but we just offered it.'' Butler added that the offer of bad light is often controversial depending on which team it benefits. Batting teams, if they are in sight of victory, have been known to politely refuse the offer to go off, which might have been the case had Devonshire needed five runs to win.

The 18 minutes lost at the start of the match proved significant in the end.

Smith said the umpires wanted a prompt start and even though he claims the toss was made and that the teams were ready by noon, it was the umpires who delayed the start.

"The umpires were sitting up in the lounge,'' Smith said. "Even when we went onto the field we were looking for the umpires.'' In contrast, Butler said it was the two teams who were not ready to start at noon and that the Bay captain never presented the umpires with his team prior to the toss being taken.

Stars, with final matches against Nationals and St. David's, are now firm favourites to clinch their first league title.

Bay and third-placed Willow Cuts, a point further back, must win both their matches and hope Stars lose one or draw twice. Bay have Cleveland and Hamilton Parish left to play, both at Sea Breeze Oval while Cuts tackle Somerset and a tough Southampton team in their two remaining matches.

To allow for shortened daylight hours the BCBC has ordered that the final two rounds of Open League matches will start at 11 a.m. with the last 20 overs beginning at 5.30 p.m.

CHRIS SMITH -- `Pressure is off Western Stars'.