Veteran umpire Randy Butler yesterday slammed Bermuda Cricket Board (BCB) for their reluctance to impose harsher punishment on assistant national coach Herbie Bascome for allegedly bringing the game into disrepute.

Bascome is alleged to have knocked over the stumps with his bat after getting out during a August 24 Premier Division match at Wellington Oval involving his club St.George's and St.David's.

The ex-St.George's Cup Match skipper was summoned before a BCB disciplinary committee and eventually given a reprimand for an offence which Butler says warrants severe punishment – especially since it was not the first time the player has landed himself in hot water with local cricket's governing body.

"Due to the severity of the incident I think Herbie should've received more than a reprimand and I don't think the BCB did their homework in this case.

"I think for all the records of players the BCB keep on file they were far too lenient in Herbie's case," Butler argued.

Last season Southampton Rangers' wicketkeeper-batsman Kwame Tucker was slapped with a four-game ban for committing the same offence. Butler is among those who have accused the BCB of having double standards.

"I don't know how the BCB looked at things. . . but they need to be tough and more consistent when handling disciplinary matters," he added.

"It's just not right when one player gets banned and then another just gets a reprimand for the same thing. How can others get banned and then you let someone else off lightly for committing the same offence? It seems the BCB only get tough with some people while others are allowed to get away unpunished."

Butler added: "Herbie has been in the game far too long to know better; the BCB should've told him 'take the rest of the season off'.

"When you are dismissed you are supposed to be a gentleman and walk.

"But this was not a good example to set and I believe his son (Oronde) is the skipper of St.George's and probably would've played in the same match.

"Had it been a younger player committing his first offence I could see the BCB giving a reprimand but when a senior player like Herbie – who has been in the game a very long time – you have to come down harder because as a senior player you have to set the proper example or else the younger players may think they can get away with doing the same things."

Last week ex-St.George's Cup Match star and Somers Isles Cricket League (SICL) administrator Dennis Wainwright also expressed outrage over the BCB's lenient stance towards Bascome's alleged transgressions.

"Anywhere else in the world a case such as this would've been dealt with more severely," he argued.

"When players misbehave themselves we have to deal with them and I am surprised Herbie would resort to something like this at this late stage of his career."