Trouble for Kepler

Captain relaible Kepler Wessels faces his first disciplinary action by the United Cricket Board as a result of an incident in the SuperSport Series match with Northerns at Kimberly earlier in the week.

While the umpire involved, Evan Ballie, who at the age of 31 has decided to quit after a number of years on the A Section panel partly as a result of the incident, Wessels has been cited in a report sent to Brian Basson, director of UCB umpires affairs.

As for as is known it is the first time the former South African captain has been brought before a disciplinary committee. The charges relate to an incident in which Wessels was upset at being given out lbw in the Griquas second innings.

Baillie said the light had been bad enough on the first two days of the match to switch on the floodlights, but on both occasions Northerns were batting and despite the floodlights the light meter reading was below the normal reading required to take off the players.

On the third day of the match the light was not considered poor enough to bring off the players when Griquas were batting on the third evening of the match won by Northerns by 227 runs.

``We checked the reading,'' Ballie said, ``and found it to be all right and decided to continue to play. It was not considered as bad as it had been on the first two days of play.

Shortly after the decison had been made to continue to play Wessles fell lbw with the left-handre offering a comment to Baillie as he stalked off the field; not at all the sort of thing in which Wessels embroils himself. Ballie told fellow umpire Barry Lambson of the incident and the matter was referred to a meeting which was chaired by Don Lee, of Griquas umpires.

Two balls after the lbw decision the umpires took the players off the field, with Griquas not at all well placed at 38 for four; perhaps it was the sort of statement which needed to be said, although the light had been worse the previous two evenings when play was suspended. Basson has confirmed a report has been hand to the UCB and is to be investigated and a decison is to be made shortly.