Cricketers Dexter Basden, Jermaine Postlethwaite and veteran Arnold Manders all escaped with a slap on the wrist at a Bermuda Cricket Board disciplinary hearing on Thursday night.

Sources close to the Board told TheRoyal Gazette yesterday the trio all received stern warnings for speaking out to the Press about matters which affected their respective clubs.

Another player, Clay Smith, is reportedly still awaiting the final outcome of his hearing.

Postlethwaite publicly criticised the Board for their failure to provide Stars with the Combined KO Cup which they won last season while team-mate Manders slammed the governing body's present bonus points system.

The latter also confirmed that his club had lodged an appeal seeking maximum points for their match against St.David's on May 10 which failed to get underway after Islanders' player/coach Smith led his team away in protest.

Manders is currently assisting coach Mark Harper with the Island's Under-19 ICC World Cup Qualifying team, while his club finally received the controversial 'phantom' showpiece last Saturday - 11 months after winning the final against Southampton Rangers at Somerset Cricket Club.

Basden was summoned before the special disciplinary committee, reportdly headed up by BCB first vice-president Gary Fray, after speaking out over Willow Cuts' surprise omission from next week's inaugural Belco Cup competition to be held at Lord's.

Smith, meanwhile, had to answer to charges of expressing personal views on the Islanders' controversial May 11 league encounter with St.George's at Lord's.

Many questions have since arisen in the wake of the Board's decision to penalise players for exercising their freedom of speech.

In the past, BCB president Reggie Pearman, has repeatedly stated that a players' code of conduct has been sent out to all affiliate clubs. However, when TheGazette queried several affiliates over whether they in fact had received such guidelines many simply replied "no". Others believed such a document did not exist - at least not at club level.

The BCB have themselves come under fire after allegations of "unconstitutionally" making amendments to Board policy surfaced two weeks ago. Since then, the local governing body have failed to address the accusations which were backed by several sources and the Board's constitution of which The Gazette obtained a copy.

BCB officials earlier this week played down the allegations and stated that affiliates had demonstrated overwhelming support for the present administration at a special meeting at Devonshire Recreation Club.

However, when The Gazette contacted several affiliated clubs yesterday, many stated that they hadn't been notified about any such meeting.

According to sources, only presidents and secretaries were invited to the meeting.