Bermuda Cricket Umpires Association (BCUA) have deemed Herbie Bascome's punishment for allegedly knocking down the stumps during a Premier Division match in August as "inappropriate" and have frowned upon Bermuda Cricket Board's (BCB) "flawed disciplinary process".

"This Herbie Bascome affair highlights the flawed disciplinary process within our domestic cricket. Management is in agreement with members that the sentence meted out (to Bascome) was inappropriate," BCUA secretary Richard Austin argued.

BCUA officials met recently to review the post-Bascome disciplinary affair in which the BCB reprimanded the St.George's stalwart for "repairing the stumps" after he allegedly knocked them down with his bat during a controversial match between his club and St.David's at Wellington Oval.

BCUA also lashed out at the Board for publicly divulging confidential details of Bascome's disciplinary hearing.

"BCUA deplore the naming of individual umpire, Kent Gibbons, in the BCB press release and the BCB's disclosure of confidential direct proceedings of the disciplinary hearing," Austin added.

Top umpire Austin revealed that the BCUA had appealed unsuccessfully against the BCB's final ruling on Bascome – despite the fact there are no provisions in the Board's disciplinary hearing process for umpires to do so.

"The BCUA's appeal lodged was heard by the BCB even though BCB's disciplinary process does not allow room for appeal by BCUA," he added.

"BCUA will abide with the findings of the disciplinary committee and regard this side of the issue closed."

Surprisingly, however, Austin never made reference to BCB president Reggie Pearman's claims that umpire Gibbons "corroborated with Mr. Bascome's version of events" during the September 8 disciplinary hearing, which the umpire has vehemently denied.

"I never corroborated anything at Mr.Bascome's disciplinary hearing. I wrote exactly what took place," Gibbons maintained.

"He (Bascome) did turn around and hit the stumps (after playing on) and then fixed them when I was writing him up.

"When I came off the field I informed him that I had written him up.

"I never corroborated anything with Mr.Bascome at his hearing."

Gibbons' assertion contradicts Pearman's claims in a September 19 BCB press release in which the Board chief is quoted as saying: "The reporting umpire, Mr.Kent Gibbons, corroborated Mr.Bascome's version of events."

The BCB contend that Bascome did not destroy the stumps intentionally. Instead, the governing body said Bascome – who has declined to speak to The Royal Gazette – immediately attempted to repair the stumps. That, in itself, said the Board, contravened cricket rules and that was why Bascome received only a reprimand rather than a suspension.

"The committee (BCB disciplinary committee) informed Mr.Bascome that it was not his role to repair the stumps and reprimanded him accordingly," Pearman explained.

In the aftermath of the highly publicised Bascome affair, the Board have promised to sit down with BCUA to review "all aspects of the BCB disciplinary process and enforcement of the BCB code of conduct".

"The BCUA will hold BCB executives to a promised meeting between both parties," Austin added.

"BCUA will press for this meeting to occur within two-three weeks."

Earlier this year BCUA members boycotted the opening day of the 2008 cricket schedule in protest over a pay-dispute with local cricket's governing body.