Football Association administrator Joe L. Brown disputed allegations of such acts of fan violence being on the rise.

Brown said that while every such incident is to be deplored they are not "proliferating our sport'' and he does not perceive a trend developing.

"When you consider the fact that we play over a thousand games in a season the incidence of this happening is quite low.

"A half-dozen is too high, but I wouldn't say that this sort of thing is taking over the sport.'' The past three weeks have twice seen beer bottles being chosen as the object of choice in fans voicing objection to decisions made by officials.

Linesman Gladwin Lodge was hit in the face during a match on December 29, at Wellington Oval, which was subsequently abandoned. Lodge filed a complaint with Police, but later dropped the charges.

The offender, former club player Brent Minors, was banned from St. George's Cricket Club for 10 years.

Even earlier in the season club members at Somerset Cricket Club were called to form a human barrier around parts of their grounds when someone launched an object from the stands onto the playing field while Somerset engaged North Village in a league game.

To this Brown added that prevention of such events taking place lay squarely with the affiliates.

"It is the field operators' responsibility to see that missiles or anything are not showered onto the field,'' said Brown. "Every precaution should be taken by affiliates to make sure there are not any bottle-throwing incidents.

"It is our (BFA and affiliates) responsibility to crack down on the culprits immediately as we need to show spectators and officials that we intend to corral this menace. "Any act of indiscipline is unwarranted no matter what the situation...the spectators are entitled to their opinion but not to throw missiles onto the field.'' It has for a while been the BFA and affiliates' policy not to allow persons to enter club grounds with any kind of bottles, coolers, large radios or other objects that may be used to create a disturbance.

However, at several matches already this season individuals have brought their own refreshments into the grounds.

With regards to Sunday's incident at Devonshire Rec. there was not even a person on the gate, thus allowing for uninhibited passage by anyone.

Said Brown: "The preventing of people bringing bags and bottles on the grounds must be addressed by affiliates.

"We are currently in meetings with affiliates but nothing is going to be done until the affiliates themselves take action and suspend offenders.

"They are aware of the problem and are taking independent steps to curing it and the BFA is certainly behind them in this regard.'' However, one such affiliate contacted last night disagreed. He said that at present there was nothing on the table although he indicated that there would almost certainly be a meeting to try to seek further solutions to the problem.

"Basically it is a difficult thing to police,'' said Reginald Pearman, secretary at Somerset Cricket Club. "There are a lot of different ways (individuals) use to bring things in.

"The clubs just have to be more dilligent until we can come up with something.'' One idea forwarded by Brown was that clubs have seating for all spectators as he felt that persons would then be less inclined to get up to throw something onto the pitch. But he emphasised that this was not likely to happen in the very near future.

The field operator at Devonshire Rec. was unavailable for comment on the matter.

IN YOU GO -- Riddick Bowe throws the WBC title belt in the gargage after accusing that organisation of trying to force him to fight Briton Lennox Lewis.