of next June, ruling him out of next month's Red Stripe Bowl in Jamaica for the second successive year.

The player-coach of St. David's along with his team-mate, veteran batsman Allen Richardson, faced charges of bringing the game into disrepute during a disciplinary hearing on Thursday night.

Richardson was slapped with an even more severe sentence -- banned until September 9 next year.

The pair were found guilty of ungentlemanly conduct during a Premier League game at Southampton Oval on August 29, when it was alleged they over-reacted to various lbw decisions handed down by stand-in umpire Colin Blades.

Neither player attended Thursday's hearing with team official Delby Borden being the club's only representative. It was not known last night if they intend to lodge appeals.

It was a year ago almost to the day that Smith was hit with a five-game ban resulting from a dispute with another umpire, Ronald O'Hara.

Having toured Canada with Bermuda's national team this summer, Smith would have been expected to play an integral role in the squad heading for the Red Stripe Bowl in Jamaica, where a number of West Indies Test players will be included among opposition teams.

Bermuda have yet to win their first Red Stripe match.

Smith, who is away in school and was not available for comment yesterday, had made no secret of his desire to represent Bermuda in the competition.

This year's Western Counties final may have to be scrapped with no dates available before next weekend's Champion of Champions tournament which traditionally features the three champion county teams.

A decision has yet to be taken on the controversy-riddled second round game in which PHC defeated Southampton Rangers but were later booted out of the competition for fielding an ineligible player, James Pace.

PHC disputed that ruling and took out a court injunction preventing last Saturday's final between Rangers and Warwick from being played. But judge Charles-Etta Simmons threw the matter out of court, insisting that the Counties would have to resolve the dispute themselves.

However, Western Counties will not make any decision until a special general meeting on Monday, by which time it will be too late to play the final before the Champion of Champions.

Bermuda Cricket Board of Control made it clear yesterday that there would be no change in the schedule to accommodate the Western Counties final.

Both president El James and secretary Charlotte Simons stated that the domestic schedule for the season had long been completed and there were no plans to alter it.

That leaves Western Counties needing to decide which team -- Rangers, PHC or Warwick -- will represent them in next week's two-day tournament.

It was revealed that Western Counties had rejected an offer from the BCBC to help resolve the dispute.

Play on the field this weekend shifts to the semi-finals and final of the Knockout Cup when PHC will attempt to upset heavily favoured opponents for the second time within a month.

Surprise conquerors of Southampton Rangers in the second round of the Western Counties on August 21, PHC will face a powerful Western Stars team at Sea Breeze Oval in one of today's semi-finals.

The other match-up should also be competitive with a weakened Bailey's Bay side traveling to White Hill to take on Somerset CC.

Stars and Bay will be favoured to advance into tomorrow's final at Somerset CC.

Meanwhile, there is a relatively high stakes make-up Premier League match scheduled at Wellington Oval today between St. George's and St. David's.

The prize for the winner is the final spot in the Camel Cup next season as it will see the winner clinching fourth place in the league.

Clay Smith: will miss next month's trip to Jamaica following a nine-month suspension for ungentlemanly conduct.