Gibbons ‘brought shame on Cup Match’
Cup Match legend Lee Raynor has condemned the unruly behaviour of St George’s all-rounder Treadwell Gibbons jr that marred last week’s annual classic at Wellington Oval.The early order batsman stood his ground after being given out in St George’s second innings’ and then had to be restrained by his skipper Oronde Bascome from confronting Somerset players as they huddled together.He was then escorted back to the pavilion.The incident was witnessed by thousands watching the match at the ground and those who watched on TV.In a separate incident Gibbons was alleged to have confronted a spectator near the clubhouse before police stepped in to restore order.Raynor, who shares the record for the highest partnership in Cup Match (229) with late St George’s team-mate Rupert Scotland, described Gibbons’ behaviour as “embarrassing”.“I’m a St George’s man all the way but that was very aggravating and I was ashamed really because it was an embarrassment, not only to St George’s Cricket Club, but to all the fans,” he said.Raynor, who claimed 35 wickets in Cup Match between 1962 and 1977, has urged St George’s hierarchy to impose tough disciplinary sanctions upon Gibbons for his behaviour that left a bad taste in the mouths of many.“He used his bat as a weapon and was getting ready to attack the Somerset players, so I think some drastic disciplinary measures should be imposed before things really get out of hand,” he said. “I think some harsh disciplinary measures should be taken to send a real message out to all the players.“We had a lot of young people wanting to play Cup Match one day watching, and that type of behaviour was a poor example.“The game was played in a very good spirit up till that point and he’s fortunate that ‘Bummy’ Symonds wasn’t the captain because that surely would’ve been the end of his Cup Match career.”St George’s president Neil Paynter remained tight-lipped when invited to comment on the matter.“I have no comment on that right now till I get the report in,” he said. “That’s all I have to say.”Bermuda Cricket Umpires Association (BCUA) president Steven Douglas also declined to comment.“It’s really out of our hands to make any comment on any incidents at Cup Match,” he said. “We can put a report in from everything we saw from the first ball to the last. But at the end of the day it’s their (Cup Match clubs) decision what they make out of it, so we are not really at liberty to go off on a whim and make any public statements — and we honour and respect that.”Gibbons, who has a history of disciplinary run-ins, did not respond to an invitation to comment by press time.Last week’s incident might evoked memories of an on field bust-up between St George’s colt George O’Brien Jr and Somerset’s Stephen Outerbridge that marred the 2005 Cup Match at Wellington Oval and landed the pair in hot water.