Cricket umpires are asking to be kept "in the know" by the Bermuda Cricket Board (BCB) regarding players' discipline.

Reacting to the news that Cleveland bowler Del Hollis has been slapped with a one-year ban for deliberately kicking over the stumps in a match earlier this month, president of the Bermuda Cricket Umpires' Association (BCUA) Randy Butler stated this outcome, like so many others, came back to umpires "through the grapevine" rather than via official channels - despite the fact that umpires Anthony Fubler and Roger Dill submitted reports and were present for Hollis' hearing.

"On many of these disciplinary charges we in the association have received not one letter from the Board that any players have been suspended for X number of games or anything," said Butler.

"If you inform a club that one of its players has been suspended there's nothing wrong with copying the same letter to the umpires' association. It's a courtesy to acknowledge your (the umpires) report and what action was taken.

"If we put in a report which they request I think it's only natural for them to answer and say 'We got your report' and the action we took was X'."

However, in what seems to be a case of he-said versus he-said, Bermuda Cricket Board (BCB) president Reggie Pearman said umpires are informed "whatever sentence is meted out" though the Board's priority is to communicate the ruling to the offending player and his club.

Butler also lamented the Board's policy of not publicising the results of disciplinary matters, especially given that many cricket fans bear witness to players' misbehaviour and should be informed of when disciplinary action is meted out.

"This Board is not like the BFA (Bermuda Football Association) which releases suspensions to the paper. The (cricket) Board seems to cover up all these sort of things or they are afraid to let the public know.

"Tell the public that for his actions a player was given a year or whatever. If he appeals the results of that can come out also.

"They (the Board) don't realise it would look good on their part to say they are taking action and that they mean to stamp out indiscipline. They are hiding it and we wonder why.

"We have addressed this on a number of occasions with sub-committees and they say they would take it back and tell the Board what the umpires' feelings are but that's where it ends up. It probably stops just where we tell them."

Citing a recent letter by former Somerset Cup Match representative, George (Friday) Bremer, chastising umpires for being "too soft on a lot of players", Butler said umpires take a lot of flack from people who are unaware they are taking steps against cricket's bad boys.

In his July 30 letter in The Royal Gazette Bremer said umpires "don't do anything about these fellows carrying on real badly on the field" and urged a change of approach.

An unmoved Pearman dismissed Butler's call for disciplinary sentences to be publicised, saying it's 'none of the public's business'.

"We're dealing with a specific person. That person is tried, they are informed and their club is informed.

"As for the public, it's none of their business as far as I'm concerned. Why should it be reported to the public?" queried the cricket boss.

Butler also expressed displeasure with the untimely manner in which some reports are handled by the BCB's Disciplinary Committee, saying it allows certain players to continue competing while hearings are pending for long periods.

This, he noted, makes some cricketers believe they can get away with bad behaviour.