For senior cricket umpire Lester Harnett, last weekend was supposed to be a momentous occasion in his officiating career.

The Bermuda Cricket Umpires Association (BCUA) president celebrated 30 years of officiating in Bermuda on Sunday.

However, it all went horribly wrong on the eve of his proposed celebration as Harnett was struck by a driven delivery in the upper chest ? just below the collarbone ? during the opening match of the visiting Lloyd?s of England tour at the National Sports Centre on Saturday.

It was an injury which required hospital treatment and ruled him out of Sunday?s Premier Division clash at Wellington Oval involving Cleveland and Willow Cuts.

To make matters worse, Harnett?s colleague Steven West also failed to show up at the ground, leaving players from both clubs dumbfounded as to the officials? whereabouts.

According to BCUA secretary Randy Butler yesterday, West was off the Island.

After waiting for two hours, skippers from both teams decided to get on with the match which Cleveland won by 79 runs ? a decision which Harnett applauded.

?It was disappointing when I read the story in the papers this morning (yesterday) to think my colleague (West) wasn?t there . . . I am just finding out,? he said. ?But the positive aspect of it is that I am glad to know that someone took the initiative to go out there and do the game.

?This is where I think the public, at times being critical of umpires, should try and find out some things about the rules and regulations from umpires so if they become involved in the game they have some sort of guidelines.?

Harnett recalled Saturday?s harrowing ordeal which occurred while a Bermuda Cricket Board Development team occupied the crease.

?The ball was driven full-blooded coming back to the non-striker?s end. The bowler was in front of me trying to catch the ball but it knocked his hand away and struck me just below the collarbone. Had it hit the bone it would have broken it,? Harnett explained.

?It felt like a gun-shot! It was a nasty blow and there was tremendous numbness. I was able to finish the match on Saturday but during the night the injury got worse and I had to seek medical attention. And on Sunday I wasn?t able to move the arm, period ? and of course umpires need both arms in order to officiate.?

The senior umpire celebrated reaching the milestone away from the sport he so desperately loves.

?It would have been a big day in Bermuda cricket for me,? he said. ?It was the 30th anniversary of me being an umpire in Bermuda and I was really looking forward to it. I wanted to be on the field so bad ? but what a way to go.?