Ricky Brangman, the Southampton Rangers coach, is calling for calm after a heated exchange between his club’s captain Dion Stovell and Willow Cuts’ Chris Douglas threatened to ruin the game at Somerset Cricket Club at the weekend.

Douglas confronted batsman Stovell on the crease as the two Bermuda players exchanged angry words, prompting umpires Craig Brangman and Emmerson Carrington to step in, with Brangman removing the bails at his end as he called for a water break to allow order to be restored.

The Cuts players left the field and returned 15 minutes later and in a dramatic late innings fightback went on to win the match by three runs.

“It’s always something when we play them, but for my team we have to be calm and continue on playing,” said Brangman, who had two sons and a nephew playing for the two teams.

“What went on out there between Stovell and Douglas was between those two, but we have to leave things alone and just play cricket, that’s what we’re out there for.

“It’s been going on for a little while, the rivalry between the two teams who want to beat one another. It started off as a rivalry but seems to be getting personal now.”

Dexter Basden, a former Cuts captain who is now assistant coach, feels that his team are being unfairly labelled for the way they play the game.

“We’re competitive and some guys take that competitiveness as being rude, but as you saw in the end these guys have character and talent,” Basden said.

“Things got heated because there was sledging from both teams, and it started from the first ball.”

Defending a modest total of 157, frustration set in for Cuts from the first ball when Kamal Bashir had a confident lbw appeal against Gerald Simons turned down by umpire Brangman. Malachi Jones, the Cuts captain and a former Rangers player, got two quick wickets to make it 30 for two before a third wicket stand of 80 between Stovell and Alex Dore moved Rangers confidently towards their target.

Dramatically the last seven wickets went down for just 44 runs as Cuts snatched victory from defeat by just three runs. The wickets that broke Rangers’ resistance were Stovell, Janeiro Tucker, Kwame Tucker and the dismissals of Shannon Raynor and Rohaan Simons on successive balls when to make it 152 for eight.

“I think Rangers gifted us a couple of wickets in the middle innings with a couple of rash shots,” Jones said. “As a team, Cuts just need to keep up the energy and belief on the field no matter what the situation is, anything can happen. We were 103 for three and had a middle order collapse and during our team huddle Deunte Darrell said ‘yeah, they are 112-3 and this is going to be their collapse’.”

With two more meetings to come, including possibly one in the second round of the Western Counties on July 12, Brangman hopes the matches can be played in a good spirit.

“When you are playing the rivalry is cool, but we need to not get personal,” Brangman said. “Cuts are a good team, we’re a good team and both teams want to win.

“They have a big heart and know how to win but when you get personal it takes the fun out of the game. A lot of those guys are friends with each other and some in the national team together. It always seems to be something when we play them.”

Willow Cuts have a bye this weekend before playing in the second round of the Western Counties on July 12 and Bailey’s Bay in the league the following day.