Anthony Foster, Freelance Writer

THE WAR of words between the West Indies Cricket Umpire Association (WICUA) and the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) intensified yesterday with the umpires poised to pull the plug on the regional Carib Beer Series while the board threatened to have regional umpires kept out of international cricket.

The WICUA has decided to withdraw its service from the regional first-class tournament, protesting the removal of two of its members from the WICB regional umpires' panel - Hayden Bruce and Kasa Dowlat of Trinidad and Tobago - but WICB Corporate Secretary Tony Deyal warned that if the umpires did not adhere to their appointments, they could suffer the consequences.

In a series of emails between Deyal, Vivian Johnson, secretary of the WICUA, and senior umpire Billy Doctrove, which The Gleaner has in its possession, Johnson wrote to Deyal saying his organisation was aware of the desperate attempt to get umpires to officiate this weekend's sixth round of matches.

"The WICB has shown utter contempt for our organisation by going around and contacting individual umpires to officiate in matches that umpires are duly appointed, and threatening them with all kinds of action. Well, Mr Deyal, this is dangerous and it goes against the established principles and procedures of good industrial relations practice," Johnson wrote.

Deyal in an email sent to Doctrove, who is a member of the ICC elite panel, requested him to stand in the Guyana versus Leeward Islands match in St Thomas, but Doctrove flatly turned it down by saying, "I think you are disrespecting my integrity ..."

GAME into Disrepute

In response, Deyal wrote, "If you do not turn out for the match as requested ... we will refer the matter to the ICC, pointing out that your actions have sought to bring the WICB and the game of cricket in the Caribbean into disrepute and that you, and any other persons from the region who have behaved in a similar fashion, should not be considered for further employment by the ICC now or at any future time."

Doctrove responded by saying, "I consider a serious threat on my career and it will be submitted to my association and my personal solicitor for further directives."

Deyal told The Gleaner in a telephone interview yesterday, "The board made a decision democratically. A group affiliated with the board said it doesn't like the decision and is withholding its services ... It seems to me to be an irony.

"It seems to me, if you read the note of Billy (WICUA vice-president), they are bringing West Indies cricket into disrepute, and cricket generally. A democratic elected board and a democratic process was followed," said Deyal.