A former national cricketer has leapt to the defence of under-fire umpire Richard (Red) Burrows, who was accused last week of ?total incompetence? after a bad-tempered Knockout Cup clash marred by violence.

In a forthright attack on a member of his own club, Bailey?s Bay stalwart Corey Hill labelled Noel Gibbons? public lambasting of the umpire as ?totally disrespectful? and urged Bay?s coach to concentrate more on how he was going to take the club back to the limited overs top-flight after being relegated this season.

The row centres around Burrows? decision to report three players from the fiery Bay-Somerset match at Sea Breeze Oval over two weeks ago to the Bermuda Cricket Board for serious breaches of the Code of Conduct.

Burrows? report, which is in the possession of the BCB, accuses Somerset skipper Reid Jones of assaulting the umpire after the match by grabbing him around the neck and pulling him into the home dressing room ? a potential Level Four offence which could carry with it a ban of of ten matches to life.

And Gibbons and Somerset seamer David Gibbs are also charged with repeated verbal abuse and threatening behaviour towards Burrows.

Gibbons contacted last week to protest his innocence, and at the same time accused Burrows of inflaming the already-tense match by swearing repeatedly at the players around him.

He added that he had witnessed Jones manhandling the umpire ? something he said was inexcusable ? while at the same time insisting Burrows was not fit to stand in local cricket and should be prevented from doing so ever again.

These comments have drawn the ire of Hill, however, who was also present at the game and claims to have witnessed all the goings on.

While admitting he too had not been the best-behaved cricketer in the past, he said that Burrows? willingness to give up his weekends throughout the summer ? in spite of ?all the abuse he takes? ? should be applauded.

?I would like to start by saying that I witnessed first hand the scenes that erupted at Sea Breeze between my boys and Somerset,? he said.

?I agree with everybody that some of the decisions made by Red where questionable but that does not justify the treatment he received from both teams ? none more visible then Noel Gibbons? actions on the field by way of pointing and shouting directly in the official?s face for everybody attending to witness.

?I would be the first to admit that I have also had my share of controversy with the powers that be in sports but what really concerns me is not the abuse shown to Mr. Burrows as an umpire but as a human being who is trying his best to help.

?All cricket players in Bermuda know the difficulties that Mr. Burrows faces when it comes to administrating any game and for Noel to publicly criticise Mr Burrows in this way is totally disrespectful to a man who dedicates his time to officiate cricket while putting up with the abuse week after week.

?Noel said last week (by way of excusing the bad behaviour) that some people care passionately about cricket on this Island. Well, there is nobody who cares more than Richard Burrows, who shows up every week religiously to face the music from both spectators and players alike.

?In my eyes Red deserves a medal for being the soldier that he is because I know none of us who would put up with what he puts up with every week.

?If it is such a problem, Noel should have written a report himself to the BCB about Red ? but don?t wait until you are in trouble and then try to justify your actions ? that is a cowardly tactic.?

Hill then pointed to the poor showing of Bay this season ? particularly in limited overs cricket ? and said that Gibbons should be more worried about his performance as the club?s coach than Burrows? competence as an umpire.

It is not yet known when the disciplinary hearing from Gibbons, Gibbs and Jones will take place, while the BCB have consistently abstained from commenting on the situation.