Several members of Parliament – on both sides of the House – last night condemned a sports editorial appearing in this newspaper last Friday concerning Bermuda's under 19 cricket squad.

It all started last week when Premier Ewart Brown and UBP MP Darius Tucker criticised the media for not being at the airport to receive the cricket team as they arrived back from the World Cup.

The Royal Gazette's sports editor Adrian Robson hit back at the criticism in his weekly editorial last Friday and provided rationale for the team getting no coverage. Now one Government Minister wants to deport Mr. Robson, who is a British expat.

This, despite the fact none of the criticising MPs last night were present to greet the cricket team besides Darius Tucker.

During the motion to adjourn, it was former Opposition Leader Wayne Furbert who initiated the scathing attack on this paper and Mr. Robson, calling the editorial "outrageous".

Mr. Robson, in his editorial called the Friday Forum, suggested that Dr. Brown and Mr. Tucker "stick to what they do best" while highlighting the below par performance of the team throughout their tournament.

At the end of the article, it stated: "As one wag suggested, rather than be welcomed home, there were some in the team who should have been put on the 'stop list'" – these words alone drew the ire of MPs.

Mr. Furbert said: "Mr. Speaker, I believe that his comments were outrageous and unacceptable to the people of Bermuda. He said that Darius Tucker and Premier Ewart Brown ought to stick to what they do best (whatever that is).

"And he said 'we'll stick to what we do best'. Mr. Speaker... we are here every Friday late nights and that fellow doesn't understand what we are doing.

"We're taking time out of our family time to pass legislation on behalf of the people of Bermuda – for seniors and for youth and to ensure that the welfare of this community, Mr. Speaker, is run properly. Mr. Robson owes this honourable House an apology."

Mr. Furbert said he wanted to move a motion demanding The Royal Gazette apologise to the House and the people of Bermuda but was unable to do so at that time.

Meanwhile Elvin James, Minister of Environment and Sport added the media should be supporting young people. He charged: "Every one of these men were drug tested so why be on the stop list? Yes, one of the players showed some aggression – but he was disciplined and was not sent home early.

"The editor of The Royal Gazette, its shareholders, everyone, should be concerned at this point! I'm not going to call for an outright firing of this individual, but something drastic needs to be done. If this had taken place in another country it would have been another case."

Later, after Mr. Tucker stood to weigh in on the almost unanimous condemnation calling Mr. Robson "cowardly", Derrick Burgess, Minister of Works and Engineering, called for Mr. Robson's deportation.

He announced: "Mr. Speaker, when anyone comes in this country as Adrian Robson has come, and insults the Premier and a member of this Parliament – he needs to go home.

"I just hope he doesn't have a PRC or status because if he doesn't then we will certainly try to rouse up my young folks to have him out of this country.

"Because when you can tell, right in the press, the cream of the crop, that they (cricket team) should be on the stop list, you don't belong in this country. This country is another world.

"This country is paradise and anyone that writes or thinks like that don't belong in this paradise. I go watch cricket on Sundays and I went to watch those young men last year and I can tell you they're all dedicated."

Subsequently, Government Whip Glenn Blakeney contended: "With regard to the reprehensible reporting of that sports editor, I think his words published is indicative of words that would come from someone that would be adequately defined as a moron."

In total, four MPs from the UBP camp and four from the PLP camp each weighed in for more than 30 minutes to demand apologies from this paper as well as calling for Mr. Robson to be sacked.