Barbados Cricket Association article.
Bridgetown, Barbados - ICBL Empire, who kept intrigue as a major title contender for most of the 2013 BCA LIME Elite division championship, are no longer pursuing arbitration in their controversial Series 1 match against Carlton, which was abandoned as a "no-decision" at Desmond Haynes Oval.
The Bank Hall club had objected to the result and requested that the matter be settled by arbitration.
"ICBL Empire have now advised that they are no longer pursuing arbitration," the BCA said in a release today.
The season started on May 4 but after the BCA postponed play in all of its matches on May 11 and 12 because of the final of the WICB first-class championship between Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago at Kensington Oval, Empire and Carlton still arranged to play on those original dates.
As fate would have it, there was no further play in the Carlton-Empire match due to an absence of umpires. It was then ruled as abandoned with both teams gaining three points (Empire picked up two points for batting and Carlton two for bowling - the other point being earned for a no-decision).
This was the second major case involving Carlton in the Elite division this season.
A week ago, CGI Maple were declared as the new champions after winning a protest over an unsuitable pitch for the second day's play of their fourth series match, also at Desmond Haynes Oval.
Maple were awarded the full 20 points after initially picking up seven and ended the ten-team championship with 111 points, while Carlton lost all ten points they had gained and have been relegated to Division 1 after finishing at the very bottom on 49 points.
Sagicor Life UWI, the champions for the previous four years (including one tied with Super Centre Spartan in 2010), were second on 102 points after initially claiming the title on September 29, which climaxed the season (the last two days of Series 1 were rescheduled for September 28 and 29).
Empire were third with 96 points.