Umpire killed in run-out dispute

A cricket umpire was beaten to death after giving a run-out decision during a village game in Sri Lanka. However, police said yesterday the killing was linked to a family feud.

A cricket umpire was beaten to death after giving a run-out decision during a village game in Sri Lanka. However, police said yesterday the killing was linked to a family feud.

"It is true that the umpire was clubbed to death on the field after he gave a run-out decision, but our investigation shows that the actual reason was rivalry between his family and another," said the police chief of Ambalangoda town.

The killing took place on Sunday in Ambalangoda, which lies 45 miles south of Colombo, the Sri Lankan capital. Cricket is the island nation's most popular sport.

The two teams included members of two families apparently engaged in a long-running feud. As Kamal Ranjith de Silva adjudged a batsman run out, members of the batting side ran towards him and hotly argued against the decision. Three of them attacked the umpire with wooden stumps and iron bars. De Silva died later in hospital.

Police arrested two of the alleged assailants and said that they would appear in a court for trial on 15 August.