Local umpire calls for respect

More than a week has passed since the UWI-UNICOM T20 final but umpire Kimrajh Barrasinghga remains disappointed with the behaviour of Cane Farm’s players. Barrasinghga said their players boldly disagreed with the umpires in the final which went down to the wire with Powergen emerging victorious in an electrifying finish by two wickets.

In the last over of the final with PowerGen chasing 128 for victory, a moment of confusion placed a damper on the final at UWI, St Augustine, on January 20. Sanjiv Gooljar, facing West Indies cricketer Lendl Simmons in the final over, played a drive straight to Simmons who fielded the ball and broke the stumps on the bowler’s end as the non-striker Ancil Bhagan wandered from the crease for a single. Gooljar walked off the field but the Cane Farm players felt the batsmen did not cross and Bhagan should have been given out. The Cane Farm players queried the decision but Gooljar (0) was not called back to the middle. Bhagan stayed at the crease and helped PowerGen get to the victory target off the last ball to finish with 12 runs off seven balls.

Barrasinghga, one of the umpires in the final, said the correct batsman walked off the field. He also said because of the aggression showed by the players, the umpires were not allowed to do their job.

“They never allowed the umpire to make the decision because they behaved in an unmannerly way,” Barrasinghga said. “They were quarrelling, cursing and criticising the umpire’s decision. They were demanding who should have been given out and so on.”

Barrasinghga said he gets along with the players, but sometimes players cross the boundary. “Players don’t respect umpires at all again – they disrespect umpires. It was bad sportsmanship on Cane Farm. They started to curse and get on in a real ugly way to bring the game into disrepute.”

Barrasinghga has 38 years experience in umpiring which includes 29 First Class games. Barrasinghga said if players conduct themselves like that in a regional game, they will be severely punished.

“In regional games, when you do that they ban you and fine you and take all your money and you get no salary.”

Cane Farm manager Kerwin Simmons said in the heat of the moment and with the trophy and $35,000 up for grabs, the players had to contest the decision.

“My side of the story (is that) the umpires have a right to complain – whether he is right or wrong, he is the man in charge, but the players are also right to show their concern,” Simmons said.

However, Simmons said if his players used profanity towards the officials, that was out of line, but sometimes in competition, players can act aggressively.

“If they curse the umpire that is wrong, but at the heat of the moment and you coming down to the final with that score and you are talking about the last over...and something like that happen, (do) you expect everybody to hug up and kiss?” he asked.

He said despite the decision – which his players felt was the wrong one – they have accepted defeat and moved on.

Simmons said Cane Farm teaches their players to respect umpires especially the young cricketers on the team.