Bermuda Cricket Umpires Association president Emmerson Carrington says that players should expect his members to make mistakes.

Carrington came out swinging in the wake of fallout from a controversial decision by seasoned umpire Steven Caines to give Bailey’s Bay batter Delray Rawlins out caught after Cleveland fielder Jason Anderson appeared to drop the ball in the Eastern Counties Cup second round last weekend.

The decision caused uproar among players and supporters, but Carrington says perfection is unattainable when it comes to umpiring without the aid of technology.

“Umpires are human and, like all humans, are prone to error,“ he said.

“Umpires do not consistently turn up at matches to ruin the game or to favour any particular side.

“They study, train and sacrifice to become certified, all for the love of the game and to support cricket in Bermuda. We review umpires’ performances every Tuesday and the best umpires get assigned to the most challenging matches.

“Umpiring is not about being perfect but more about being consistent. When spectators and players can take photos and videos of an incident where an umpire may have gotten it wrong and use them to destroy an umpire's credibility, where does that leave the sport?”

Carrington feels umpires are essential to the game on island and ratcheting up the pressure on the men and women in the middle could lead to the sport becoming unsustainable.

“Cricket cannot survive without umpires,” he said.

“The international standard is that an umpire has about three seconds after an appeal to make a decision and has to rely on the information he is seeing and hearing at the time.

“Consider that for a minute. How many decisions do we have to make on a daily basis where we have a three-second time limit?”

Carrington was also willing to push some of the blame for the Rawlins outcome back on to Cleveland, whom he accused of showing a lack of sportsmanship by not withdrawing their appeal.

“While based on the video evidence a genuine error was made, the same can’t be said for the Cleveland players.

“If cricket is still a gentleman's game, where is the honesty and integrity from the players? How many of them edge the ball to the wicketkeeper and walk if the umpire doesn't give them out?

“How many of them still claim a catch knowing full well that the ball bounced before the catch was taken?

“Under Law 31.8, the captain of the fielding side can withdraw an appeal after obtaining the consent of the umpire and a decision of out can be revoked, allowing the batter to continue their innings.

“This is seen not only as good sportsmanship but also as upholding the spirit of the game, but have you ever seen this done?

“To constantly berate umpires for perceived errors when your team loses does not uplift the game.”

Carrington warned that the number of match officials continues to dwindle on the island and hopes that potential umpires will sign up for a six-week training course run by the association.

“We are already at an all-time low for cricket umpires and perhaps those that think they can do better should step forward,” he said.

“Or is it easier and safer to criticise from beyond the boundary? Umpires are always open to honest feedback on their performances but we [all stakeholders] must collectively do better.”