Board officials were yesterday unwilling to comment on the matter, but it is believed that because it could see no end to its souring relationship with the Bermuda Cricket Umpires Association (BCUA) the governing body has decided to take the initiative and form the new group.

Russell Richardson, a former executive of the BCUA, yesterday confirmed that he had been approached.

"Yes, I have been contacted and made aware about the board's plans to form a new union and I am very concerned about this move,'' said Richardson.

"I am concerned to the degree that I think that the Minister of Youth and Sports should be asked to step in and help to sort this out before things get completely out of hand. I think it's wrong for the board to do this.

"I really think that a move to do something of this nature will not be for the betterment of the game of cricket. It can only help to detract from the good performance that Bermuda displayed at the recent ICC Trophy Tournament.'' Richardson also said that he knew nothing about a serious difference existing between the board and the BCUA and reckoned that he had no idea why the governing body were considering steps to form an umpires union.

Several other umpires this week privately revealed that they had been informed about the board's plans to form a union, but they did not wish to be named.

What is understood to have prompted the move is the board's anger over the decision by the BCUA to write to the International Cricket Council (ICC) to inform it that the local umpires' association had not sanctioned the selection of George Francis to act as Bermuda's representative umpire in Kenya.

The BCUA publicly indicated that it took this action because of the BCBC's reluctance to include it in the selection procedure.

The person given the job of forming the new umpires union is well-known umpire and a current member of the BCUA McDonald Swan, who incidentally was just this week appointed as a representative of the board during its annual general meeting.

When contacted yesterday and asked about the proposed plans to form a new union, Swan was reluctant to comment on the matter, but he still did not deny that steps were under way to assemble umpires for that purpose.

Reginald Pearman, the board's new secretary, was likewise refusing to comment but claimed that he would probably be in position to make something public about the matter early next week.

However, the rumours are prevalent in cricket circles and they have reached the ears of the BCUA, which is understood to have been expecting some strong action of that nature from the board.

Luther Wilkin, vice-president of the BCUA, confirmed that he had heard "something of that nature'' was occurring but noted that his association was in possession of no formal notification from the board.

There is also a rumour that the board had written to the BCUA to say that its services would not be required for the coming season but Wilkin could not shed any light on this.

"We haven't heard anything yet about this either,'' was his response.

But it has long been clear that the two groups had problems in communicating, proven by the board's decision to suspend former BCUA president Randy Butler at the start of last season after he publicly criticised the governing body.

Conflict between the two bodies heightened prior to the ICC Trophy Tournament when officials of the BCUA arranged a meeting with the Sports Minister Pamela Gordon to advise her of their concern over not being included in a major selection of that nature, after being very much involved in 1990 when George Trott was chosen for the event in Holland.

The board will meet next week to learn about Swan's progress to find umpires willing to support its new venture.