Neil Bramwell speaks out

THE BBC were spot on to boycott Geoffrey Boycott's coverage of the West Indies tour - but for all the wrong reasons.

Programmers decided to bounce Boycott out on his ear while his appeal for assaulting former girlfriend Margaret Moore is still pending.

The decision to suspend Boycott from radio duties has not come a moment too soon.

Boycott has been assaulting the senses of viewers and listeners with his predictable brand of Tyke twaddle for too long to remember.

And for a batsman who would only attack on reaching his ton on the third day of a five day Test, it is only right that licence payers should be granted their own form of defense.

But for the Beeb bosses to hide behind Boycott's court case is equivalent of the cowardice Boycott himself demonstrated while bawling out his maiden. Their dead-bat statement read: "While legal proceedings are still pending, the BBC feel it would be inappropriate for Geoffrey Boycott to appear on the BBC."

This is just a thinly veiled excuse to drop Boycott down the order after a hugely disappointing innings in broadcasting.

But the double standards of the BBC's move are illustrated by the fact that Boycott will still appear in the edited daily highlights on television.

Those pictures are bought in from the live broadcast producers Trans World International, for whom Boycott is also a commentator.

In any case, it is one thing to grow tired of Boycott's condescending and patronising 'It were never like that in my day' gripes.

It is another matter, though, to judge his professional worthiness on an isolated domestic incident, however disgusting.

And those in charge should be careful not to set dangerous new precedents.

In Sue Barker the BBC still employs someone with the shameful record of being romantically linked with Sir Cliff Richard.

Previous sport story

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.