Southampton Rangers Sports Club president Darren “Butch” Burchall has hit back at the Western Counties Cricket Association decision to strip his club of hosting rights for the tournament this year.

The association relocated the tournament after member clubs unanimously expressed “deep unrest” in the wake of an attack on a Paget Lions player during the past football season and more recently a firearm incident that occurred on the same day Rangers were crowned T20 Premier Division champions.

Burchall believes the decision to take the tournament away is “deplorable and unjust”.

“Southampton Rangers is deeply aggrieved and in shock at this decision, which only epitomises a massive issue in our Black community,” he told The Royal Gazette.

“Instead of lending a hand of support another during misfortune, the WCCA dig their foot into our throat when we are down.”

After being granted hosting rights at the WCCA’s last annual meeting, Burchall said his club had secured the support of area MP Zane DeSilva, top businesses in the community and invested more than $10,000 to prepare their facility for the upcoming series.

“We called in all of our community’s top business leaders from Island Paints, Butterfield Excavation, Horseshoe Bay Live, Kingdom Construction, Brangman Electric, James Water Service, ICS, No Problem Kitchen our women's auxiliary, Zane DeSilva and Constituency 29 to move on making this a most memorable and enjoyable county series for the community, players and fans,” he said.

“We have spent well over $10,000 already preparing our facility, and to have this dragged from under our feet is deplorable and unjust.

“For them to cite antisocial behaviour at and around our club as the basis of pulling the plug on us hosting is the equivalent of Government closing down every event on the island because of antisocial behaviours that have become a day-to-day reality of life in Bermuda.”

Burchall also pointed to recent T20 matches at Southampton Oval involving fellow Western Counties teams Willow Cuts, Somerset Bridge, PHC and Warwick Workmen’s Club that were all held without any acts of antisocial behaviour in and around the club.

“The irony of it is that Willow Cuts, SBRC, PHC and Warwick Workmen's Club all played multiple T20 matches at our club without incident,” he said.

“We created an atmosphere where our members, officials, fans and players were safe and thoroughly enjoyed themselves.”

The WCCA also cited a threat of losing vital sponsorship as a factor in its decision. However, Burchall claims the association has suffered financial losses in recent years with the event having been staged at both White Hill Field and Southampton Oval.

“During the past three, four years the WCCA has lost money on the series every year and we were well on our way to make sure that this year their $25,000 budget was covered without cost to them,” he said.

Rangers pulled out of the competition after a dispute with tournament organisers to stage last year’s series at White Hill Field and not at their ground at Southampton Oval, a move they argued contravened the WCCA’s constitution.

It was the second time that Rangers have pulled out of the competition in the past 14 years after they did so in 2011 in protest against the games being played at Somerset Cricket Club, which is not affiliated with the Western Counties.

In response to Rangers’ decision to withdraw, Western Counties and Somerset Bridge Recreation Club president Teresa Burrows expressed sadness over their actions but stressed that all factors were taken into consideration before making the decision to stage the competition at White Hill Field.

This year’s series will feature holders Warwick taking on challengers PHC in the first round on July 4, with Southampton Rangers facing the winner in the second round on July 11.

The winners of that match will take on Somerset Bridge in the third round on August 8 with the winner of that contest to meet Willow Cuts in the final round on August 22.