Willis Dill, the president of Western Stars Sports Club, said it was lack of communication by the Central Counties that caused the competition’s first-round match to be postponed last weekend, rather than an unprepared wicket at St John’s Field.

The opening match of the series between champions Western Stars and Devonshire Recreation Club was postponed a second time because of concerns about the wicket being ready, according to the Central Counties.

Now the two teams will make a third attempt to play the match on Saturday, with the wicket now fit for play after Stars hosted Somerset Cricket Club in their opening Premier Division match last weekend.

With better communication the ground could have hosted Saturday’s county match, too, Dill said. “It was lack of communication on their behalf,” Dill said in response to comments the Central Counties made last week about the wicket not being ready.

“They called a meeting for last Tuesday and nobody from the Central Counties committee came. I turned up at Devonshire Rec at 6pm for the start of the meeting and left there at 6.20pm. I went to Western Stars’ cricket training, had a conversation with the players and the coach and left and went back to Devonshire Rec about 7.05pm and the guy I left there was still there. He said nobody had been there.

“Then to read in the paper that the game was called off because of our wicket didn’t sit too well. Had they had that meeting they would have known that the wicket was going to be ready.

“I spoke to the Bermuda Cricket Board some time ago and they asked me when our wicket was going to be ready. I spoke to our groundsman and he told me it would be ready the first weekend in June and that was delivered. We played on Sunday and it would have been available on Saturday.”

Dennis Williams, a Central Counties official, sent an e-mail to the clubs late on Friday afternoon to explain the situation, admitting that the postponement of the game was done to accommodate Bermuda coach Clay Smith who had planned a trial match for the Under-19 squad, which is preparing for World Cup qualifying matches this summer. Two Stars players, Jaiden Manders and Dalin Richardson, are in the squad.

Williams wrote: “We received push back/concern from the national coach Clay Smith who has an important final trial game scheduled that day for the Under-19 squad and Western Stars have some players Clay wanted involved in the trial match. At that point in time we still were not totally sure St John’s would be ready for the 3rd.

“I want to stress that in no way is it Western Stars’ fault or blame for the game not taking place on June 3 but rather we as Central Counties are acquiescing to the national programme and the trial game taking place that day.”

The Central Counties has had a challenging last couple of years with North Village and Tuff Dogs brought in to make it a four-team competition. Dill applauds them for trying to revive the competition, the youngest of the three counties.

“They managed to pull in North Village and Tuff Dogs last year and keep them in again, which is a good thing,” Dill acknowledged. “So you have to commend them for trying to rebuild the counties, although it is not what it used to be when we had Police and the Rec of old.”