Basketball: Brown banned for outburst

KARL BROWN, the England and Great Britain international, has lost his place in the Guildford Kings team for the Carlsberg Championship play-offs at Wembley on 1 and 2 May, because of his outburst against the referee after the defeat at Birmingham in the first game of their quarter-final series, writes Duncan Hooper.

The English Basket Ball Association yesterday announced a two-game ban on Brown, who played a key role in Guildford's fightback to reach Wembley with two wins after they lost at Birmingham. The ban covers the play-off semi-final against Worthing Bears and the final, if Guildford beat the First Division champions.

Guildford have the right of appeal, but Brown will find himself as short on sympathy from the authorities as he is from his club coach, Kevin Cadle. Brown's anger was directed against the referee, Richard Stokes, and immediately followed Guildford's 92-86 defeat.

Cadle said: 'I jumped in as soon as I could to stop him, but Carl abused the ref in front of the other official and the commissioner. It was never going to be a case of his word against their's. He was upset about the officiating, but acting like that doesn't solve anything.'

Although Cadle would prefer to pick Brown, his suspension solves the problem of who to leave out. Cadle omitted the veteran playmaker, Alton Byrd, from the last two quarter-finals and gave the team extra rebounding strength through Carl Miller.

Now Byrd is sure to prolong his association with Wembley, where he made his debut in 1980 with Crystal Palace.