The Bermuda Cricket Board has responded to criticism surrounding the use of Omtex training balls for its domestic T20 competition.

The board insists that cheaper balls have been introduced in response to calls by member clubs during a recent financial forum to help reduce operational costs.

However, while their $15 price tag has helped achieve that goal, the use of these particular balls for domestic matches has come under scrutiny by some players, including Cleveland County’s Charles Richardson, who fears they could be detrimental to the local game.

“When management sent the list of rules for the T20 competition, one of the requirements listed was that the games would be played using Omtex balls,” he told The Royal Gazette.

“I have been playing cricket for 25 to 30 years and had never heard of an Omtex ball. So I did my research and come to find out they are training balls manufactured by this company.

“We have cricketers who are now being forced to use a sub-quality ball and then we are sending them to the slaughter to go and face high-quality bowling from bowlers who have been allowed to get used to a Kookaburra Turf ball, how it moves and how it behaves.

“They are not good balls and all the bowlers I have spoken to have said after two overs you can’t even rub the balls on your flannels. I have actually spoken to guys who bowled the ball.”

Reports have also surfaced claiming that at least three bats were broken in T20 matches at the weekend, with BCB chief executive Calvin Blankendal addressing the matter on radio talk show Talking Sport yesterday.

He said that the significantly cheaper balls had been made available through a “relationship” between board president Lloyd Smith and Omtex.

“The relationship has allowed us to reduce the cost of a ball from $65 for one to four for the price of one,” Blankendal said.

He added that the BCB has not received any complaints from the clubs concerning the balls, which he said were also used last season.

He also defended the use of the balls in domestic T20 matches, saying that they are used by other countries in the Americas region. Omtex cricket balls are not used in international or professional first-class competitions, but have become a staple for professional players during their training sessions.

However, Blankendal emphasised that the ICC allows the use of the balls for domestic leagues.

“The ICC only mandates that in international competition you need one of these international balls,” he said.

“But when you have your domestic competition you just need a ball that’s fit for purpose, similar to BFA football. You don’t need a World Cup ball to play BFA Premier Division ball.

“In the region we were the only ones using either Kookaburra, SG or Dukes because the majority of the Americas members don’t have the financial means to purchase a $65 ball.”

The BCB chief executive also allayed fears the use of the balls could be detrimental to the local game, especially for those involved at the national level.

“You’re only playing five T20 games as it’s a small competition that we’re playing in,” he said.

“But when it comes to the national team, we do purchase the higher ball because that’s the competition that we need to play in and those players that are part of the national team get to train with it.

“At the end of the season, if we have a knockout competition we may use a higher ball because it is leading into international competition.”

Blankendal insists that neither president Smith nor the BCB are making a profit from the balls.

“There’s nothing that the president or the association is really earning off a ball because if you import something for $15, how much mark-up do you think you are going to get unless you’re bringing in a pencil — and no one is buying a pencil for $15,” he said.

“It’s been approved by the board because we all know with our due diligence and with conflict of interest that there’s really no mark-up for the president on this, actually for anything that’s dealing with the BCB proper directly or national programmes. It’s at cost but if he does something with a club that’s a private entity, there may be a small mark-up.

“The BCB on this one has done a great job and it’s due to the relationships of President Smith, which have been above board.”