Darrell's innocent
Willow Cuts have not ruled out appealing against the lengthy Bermuda Cricket Board (BCB) ban imposed on star player Deunte Darrell.A club spokesperson told The Royal Gazette yesterday that some of the charges Darrell faced during the disciplinary hearing were “false” and feel his punishment is “excessive”.Darrell was handed a one-year ban for breaching probation, threat of an assault on an umpire, abusing cricket ground equipment (knocking down stumps) and showing serious dissent towards an umpire’s decision during and after last Sunday’s abandoned Premier match between Devonshire and Cuts at Devonshire Rec.The teenaged all-rounder pleaded guilty to the charge of threat of an insult on an umpire (Bobby Smith) but denies the other charges levied against during the BCB disciplinary hearing presided over by technical committee chairman Allen Richardson, Noel Gibbons and Derek Wright.“The club is very disappointed because a lot of this stuff is false,” the Cuts spokesperson said. “Deunte didn’t bring the game into disrepute, he didn’t abuse no cricket ground equipment meaning knocking down the stumps and he didn’t show any serious dissent to any umpire.“Mr. Darrell did not have any confrontation with Mr. (Lester) Harnett (at Devonshire Rec.) and the threats actually came from a spectator and not a player it wasn’t even a Willow Cuts spectator.“The only remark he made to the umpire (Harnett) was that he wanted to play the game because we needed points to survive in the Premier Division. He was just wanted Mr. Harnett to continue on playing.”The Cuts’ spokesperson now questions whether the BCB had the leverage to impose sanctions on Darrell for the “verbal exchange” between the player and umpire Smith that took place at Sea Breeze Oval following the ill-fated match at the Den.“I’m not condoning what was said but the umpire had no right to write in to the Board that someone said a few words to him that plays cricket,” the spokesperson said. “A report about Deunte at Sea Breeze Oval was submitted by Mr Bobby Smith when both of them were spectators at another game.”Cuts now have seven days in which to appeal against the sanctions imposed on Darrell that they claim are “unfair”.“Certain sources do not feel that the cricket board’s disciplinary proceedings do not apply with the rules of natural justice,” the spokesperson said. “We have not dismissed appealing because we just cannot accept some of these false charges against Deunte like hitting the stumps and then lay down.“This is not fair and I think we have a strong case because they (BCB) are trying to pin some things that happened, who they do not know who done them, on Deunte. He was on probation and they are trying to stick some things on him. But if he’s not guilty of an act then how can he be found guilty?”
Willow Cuts cricketer Antione Darrell has jumped to his son's defence over a stump kicking incident that occurred during last weekend's abandoned Premier Division match at Devonshire Rec.
Teenaged all-rounder Deunte Darrell was found guilty by a Bermuda Cricket Boarddisciplinary committee of kicking down the stumps during the match between hosts Devonshire and Cuts that was abandoned after the umpires came under heavy verbal abuse from players and fans.
However, the player's father is adamant that the BCB have pinned the blame on the wrong man.
“Deunte did not knock them stumps down and they (BCB) have it all mixed up because the people that were there saw it as clear as day,” Darrell said. “It's not fair that my son has been blamed for something he did not do.
“If he did knock them down okay, punish him. But he didn't knock them down because I saw it for myself.”
Like many observers present at the ground who witnessed the incident, Darrell claims that it was Cuts' skipper Chris Douglas who knocked down the stumps and not his son.
“Chris kicked the stumps down with his feet and I am surprised he didn't come forward and admit the truth,” he said.
Douglas was summoned before the BCB's disciplinary committee to face charges over the stump kicking incident and failing to control his players during last Sunday's abandoned match at Devonshire Rec. He was eventually found not guilty of kicking down the stumps but received a “strong reprimand” for failing to “control his players”.
“He was deemed to be the captain and he should have done more than what they said he done,” stated BCB technical committee chairman Allen Richardson.
Darrell on the other hand was given a one-year ban for breaching probation, abusing cricket ground equipment (knocking down stumps), threat of an assault on an umpire and showing serious dissent towards an umpire's decision during and after the ill-fated Premier match that was awarded to Devonshire.
n PHC vice president Mark Wade declined to comment on Khiry Furbet's suspension or the progress of an internal inquiry into the incident at PHC Field that led to his ban.
St George's chairman Lewis Foggo did not return calls for comment on Detroy Smith and Macai Simmon's suspensions.
