Two top Western Province squash players have been handed suspended sentences for "unacceptable behaviour" after a fist fight and heavy drinking at an interprovincial tournament.
The incident involved two Masters players and erupted during the opening ceremony of the 2007 Masters interprovincial tournament in Pretoria last week.
The players were originally benched for a year but the punishment was later suspended for a year.
Should they be found guilty of further indiscretions in this period, the suspension will be implemented for a 12-month period from the date of the indiscretion.
Contacted by the Cape Argus, Ray Bungay, president of WP Masters Squash, played down the fight, saying it was a minor argument that had been sorted out internally.
But the Cape Argus is in possession of an email in which Bungay has admitted that he wrote about "an unprecedented incident that brought our province into disrepute".
"This incident has highlighted the unsavoury behaviour of a number of WPM players whose objective at the IPTs appears to be first and foremost to drink themselves into a stupor every night.
"The fact that they have to represent their province on the squash court the following day seems to be of no concern.
"While partying has always been part and parcel of Masters tournaments, we are all adults and should be ashamed and not proud of schoolboy behaviour," Bungay wrote.