Arnold Manders has called the Bermuda Cricket Board’s late transfer policy “hogwash” as three of his Western Stars players get set to leave for Cleveland before tomorrow’s first late transfer deadline.

Treadwell Gibbons, who returned to Western Stars last season, is planning to go back to the Eastern Counties club, taking team-mates Temiko Wilson and Macai Young with him.

The loss of the three players will be a blow to Stars, who were able to secure the services of former captain Manders as coach this season. Things were looking up for the former league champions with three former players — Tre Manders, Jekon Edness and Jacobi Robinson — returning to the club during the initial transfer period. Now the late transfer period, which last season allowed Allan Douglas to play for Cleveland one week before transferring to St David’s the next, is about to rob Stars of three players before their opening league match this weekend.

“I think the late transfer thing is a load of hogwash, that’s exactly what I say,” Manders said. “They need to tighten it up or get rid of it.

“It’s not been thought out enough, they had problems with it last year with Allan Douglas playing in one game for Cleveland [against St David’s in the league] and then the next weekend playing for St David’s [against Southampton Rangers and Bailey’s Bay in the Belco Cup semi-finals and final].

“There’s only one club that has enough players that they can loan or transfer players and that’s Bailey’s Bay. There is another late transfer period coming up after Friday. How are you supposed to prepare a team and then three guys decide to transfer?

“I could now look to replace the players and people will be saying I’m bad because I’m trying to take players from another team. It is supposed to be fringe players and those three are not fringe players. All it does is have a domino effect.”

The Bermuda Cricket Board did not respond to a request for comment yesterday.

The BCB has an initial transfer period and two late transfer periods, as outlined in their Transfer/Loan Policies and Procedure document.

Stars open the defence of their Central Counties title on Saturday against Devonshire Rec before hosting Somerset in their league opener on Sunday. They are aiming for another top four finish and Manders still feels he has a squad to be competitive this season. “We just have to go on with what we have and everybody has to tighten up their game,” said Manders, a former Bermuda captain and coach.

“I tell them to just worry about the things they can control. I can’t control players leaving but we can make sure we train hard and prepare ourselves for games.

“I think we can still compete, but there is no margin for error. We’ve got Tre, Jekon and Jacobi who are match winners and the others have to follow suit.”

Manders played for Tuff Dogs in the Twenty20 plate final last weekend at Sea Breeze Oval before watching St David’s beat Bailey’s Bay in a thrilling final. He tips those two teams to be the favourites again for the league title.

“St David’s are very strong in the bowling department and are going to be the team to beat,” Manders stated. “They and Bay will be the two front runners.”