PRO cricketers can become poisonous when they drop down below first-team level. Their behaviour in club cricket can sometimes be revolting -- they know who they are -- and it seems that county 2nd XI can bring out the worst too, as evidenced by the trouble caused of two Derbyshire players this week.

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Tom Lungley and Dan Birch were suspended by the ECB on totting up after incidents in a Second XI Championship match between Leicestershire and Derbyshire on July 1-3. That followed hard on this week's suspension of Omari Banks at Somerset after he was caught tampering with the ball because he felt bored.

Lungley, a fast bowler, was reported by umpires Ismail Dawood and Dean Johnson for showing serious dissent at an umpire’s decision by word or action, and in a separate incident he was reported by the umpires for a similar offence, this time intimidating an umpire.

In the same match Birch, a batsman, was reported by the umpires for serious dissent and later with another breach of the code -- threatening to assault another player, team official or spectator. Both players received a automatic suspension for a period covering Derbyshire’s next two competitive Second XI matches.

Derbyshire County Cricket Club investigated these incidents. In addition to the suspension above, a further one-match suspension was imposed on each player with immediate effect along with a fine of £1,000 suspended for 12 months.