Local umpire Stephen West was left confused and upset in the run-up to Cup Match last week, having been told that he would officiate at the 101st classic only to have his candidacy rejected at the 11th hour by St. George's officials.

West, who was set to stand in his second straight Cup Match, was the preferred candidate on a list of three names drawn up by St. George's captain Charlie Marshall and sent for consideration to a selection committee at the club, chaired by Lewis Foggo.

The committee, however, decided to go against the wishes of the captain and the players and appointed Geoffrey Pitcher, who was second on the list, in West's place.

When contacted, president of St. George's Cricket Club Neil Paynter was not prepared to say exactly when the committee met but insisted that Pitcher and the Bermuda Cricket Umpires' Association (BCUA) were informed promptly after a decision had been reached.

Officials at the BCUA, however, have rejected this claim, saying they received no official confirmation of the appointment.

Furthermore, the decision only became clear to many during a live television talk show on Tuesday evening when even the the club's captain, a startled Marshall, discovered for the first time that the team's preferred candidate had been rejected by the executive.

Pitcher was only made aware of his appointment later that night, little more than a day before the big event.

Although making it clear he respected the right of St. George's to appoint whoever they saw fit, West said he was disturbed by the lateness of the announcement and the apparent breakdown of communication between the club and the BCUA.

“I knew I was number one on the list submitted by the players to the selection committee at St. George's,” he said.

“I was told on Tuesday morning by my colleague, Roger Dill, that it was him and I who would be standing. I was of course thrilled to bits. I was then phoned on Wednesday morning by Stephen Douglas who informed me that the committee had decided to appoint Geoffrey Pitcher and that was that.”

“Don't get me wrong,” he continued, “Roger Dill and Geoffrey Pitcher are both very good umpires and I am not taking anything away from them, but I really am a bit miffed at the way the whole procedure was conducted.”

Although West admitted that he was never given official confirmation by St. George's that he was to stand in Cup Match, he maintained that the “embarrassing” misunderstanding could have been avoided if the issue had been dealt with at a much earlier date.

“This confusion would not have happened if they had got it sorted out well in advance like it should have been and not at the last minute. It should have been dealt with far more professionally. In my opinion, umpiring appointments for Cup Match should be announced at least ten days to two weeks in advance so that umpires have a proper amount of time to prepare and these problems can be avoided.”

Stephen Douglas, assistant secretary at the BCUA, agreed with these sentiments.

“It did not have to be so complicated and could and should have been decided much earlier,” he argued.

Another high ranking individual within the association, who did not wish to be named, was even more critical, describing St. George's' behaviour as “crazy and amateurish” as well as being “completely unfair to umpires, who had so little time to get ready.”

The official also strongly advocated that the Cricket Board of Control, in conjunction with the association, should work more closely with the two clubs to ensure that the selection process is conducted much earlier and is devoid of bias and controversy.

Paynter refused to be drawn on the criticisms last night, claiming that the issue would be dealt with at a later date.

“I have no comment on their concerns. They are entitled to their opinions but I am not going to get into a controversial debacle with the umpires because I don't need the hassle,” he said.

Meanwhile, there was a meeting of the BCUA last night at which it was proposed to discuss how the issue could be resolved.