Cup Match colt Jacobi Robinson escaped with six months probation following his disciplinary hearing at Bermuda Cricket Board on Monday.

The youngster, who had to answer charges of bringing the game into disrepute following ?unauthorised? comments he made to this newspaper in January about his time at the Port Elizabeth International Cricket Academy in South Africa, is now clear to make his debut for Somerset in this week?s summer classic.

Robinson spent two months abroad over the winter, but had his training schedule at the academy seriously curtailed when, after complaining of pain in his lower back, he was advised to lay off the intense physical work and concentrate on rehabilitation and remodelling his bowling action.

Speaking to yesterday, BCB chief executive Neil Speight said that he ?hoped the decision would bring an end to the issue once and for all? while he was also keen to clarify a number of what he termed ?misleading points? relayed during the coverage of the debacle in this newspaper.

What has not been reported until now, Speight said, was that Robinson was handed a letter at the beginning of the year which made it clear to him that he could only talk to the media with the Board?s expressed permission.

On January 4 of this year, Robinson spoke at length withwithout informing the governing body, and revealed that he was giving strong consideration to returning home prematurely from South Africa because of his persistent back complaint ? a move which would have gone against the advice of academy director Dr. Richard Stretch and the wishes of the BCB.

That article, claims Speight, and some written since that time about the saga which has dragged on for almost seven months, have been ?jammed? with ?unsubstantiated and misleading? comments attributed to the young allrounder, all apparently made without the Board?s knowledge.

?We were very clear with him and his family about what our stance was on talking to the media without permission,? Speight said.

?We met with them and sent them a letter defining this policy. The reason for this is that we have spent countless hours securing the sponsorship to make sure that young cricketers like Jacobi are given the opportunity to advance their games abroad in a first-class environment, and we simply cannot allow that funding to be jeopardised by comments in newspapers which can often be taken out of context or present a misleading view of an issue.?

?We are determined,? he continued, ?to ensure that those funds will be available in the future for the best young Bermudian cricketers to travel abroad and we have to take a stand when something or somebody puts that funding at risk.?

Speight also said that he needed to correct the ?erroneous? impression spread, he claims, by the reporting, that cricketers could be punished ?merely for talking to the media.?

?The Board?s policy on players talking to the press is not as black and white as your reports have been implying,? he said.

?As a national team representative or as a player on a Board sponsored initiative, like Jacobi was, we require a signature stating that they will not talk to the media without consulting us first. That is the standard practice of all national cricketing governing bodies all over the world, so to accuse us of being ?dictatorial? or impinging on free speech is simply inaccurate.?

?As a normal club player,? he continued, ?it is not a crime in the Board?s eyes to talk to the media and we have no wish to inhibit this dialogue. But we do reserve the right to look at any comments made and decide whether or not they are misleading and whether or not they result in that person bringing the game into disrepute, as according to the BCB laws that every cricketer is subject to. That is actually how the policy works.?

Speight did, however, want to mend bridges with Robinson and his family, calling the youngster a ?terrifically talented cricketer whose best interests we always had at heart.?

?I have no problem personally with Jacobi,? he said.

?I think he is a very gifted cricketer with an effervescent personality who will play a major role in Bermudian cricket for years to come. I?d like to congratulate him on scoring his first league century for his club this season which proves he is developing into a genuine allrounder and I wish him the very best in Cup Match this week.?

Meanwhile, Somerset cricket chairman Anthony Bailey, who accompanied Robinson to the disciplinary hearing on Monday, was yesterday fully supportive of the Board?s vigorous stance on the issue.

?We at Somerset have accepted the decision and given the Board our full backing,? he said.

?At the end of the day, securing significant sponsorship is absolutely crucial to the future development and prosperity of cricket in Bermuda and any safeguards the governing body needs to put in place to ensure this sponsorship does not dry up is more than fine by us. But now we all want closure and are turning our attention to enjoying Cup Match and our future cricket ? which at the end of the day is what it is all about.?