ECB embarrassed by barb at Warner that is not likely to help their cause with the ICC

PUBLISHED: 18:53 EST, 10 December 2013 | UPDATED: 18:53 EST, 10 December 2013

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The sledging between Australia and England cricketers that has been centre stage in a highly acrimonious Ashes series is now spreading to the blazers in the VIP boxes.

Kent president Bob ‘The Cat’ Bevan, a well-known after-dinner speaker, raised the subject in an impromptu speech during a South Australian Cricket Association function at the Adelaide Oval attended by politicians and sports dignitaries from both Ashes camps.

He waded into the Australians, picking on opening batsman David Warner, about whom he said: ‘The lift doesn’t go to the top floor.’

Embarrassed: ECB chairman Giles Clarke (left) is likely to have been red faced after an impromptu speech from Kent president Bob Bevan

War of words: Bevan said 'the lift doesn't go to the top floor' about Australian batsman David Warner

ECB chairman Giles Clarke had made an earlier address in which he was careful not to escalate the tension between the sides.

Bevan’s attack on Warner was light-hearted but it will not help the ECB ahead of an ICC meeting in Perth when the abusive language being used by Australia — Mitchell Johnson in particular — is likely to be raised.

Also expected to be on the agenda is the offensive tweet poking fun at Monty Panesar which was sent out by Cricket Australia’s aggressive social media department.

In the spotlight: Mitchell Johnson's strong and abusive language appears to have got under the skin of the England players

Arsenal are taking legal action against a sports management company over non-payment for an Emirates Stadium hospitality box following a bizarre bread-slicing incident.

Capstone Sports Management, whose clients include former Arsenal striker Kanu, deny breaching the licence agreement that runs until 2015 and claim not paying invoices totalling more than £80,000 is justified because the level of service and hospitality has been compromised by Arsenal caterers Delaware North.

This allegedly follows an incident at a match in December 2011 when it is claimed the club stopped a Capstone employee cutting into a loaf he had brought into the box.

Legal action: Arsenal are taking legal action against Capstone Sports Management for a bizarre bread-slicing incident

The FA remain surprisingly relaxed about England’s opening World Cup match against Italy in the searing heat of Manaus being brought forward by three hours at the behest of TV.

But manager Roy Hodgson regards it as a positive that the 6pm kick-off will allow his squad to fly back to their Rio base straight after the game — lengthening preparation time for the match against Uruguay five days later.

It has been highly unlikely since July — as Sports Agenda wrote at the time — that Wimbledon champion Andy Murray would attend Sports Personality of the Year because it clashes with his Miami training camp.

Yet the BBC are only now putting a contingency plan into operation and it is still not clear who will present Murray with the trophy, because the Scot’s camp only gave a definitive No to his presence in Leeds yesterday, five days before the live show. The ‘disappointed’ BBC should have been more prepared for the snub.

Unlikely: Andy Murray will probably not win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award because he is in a training camp when it airs

Beeb’s faith is fading

ITV Sport, as Sports Agenda forecast, have plumped for England’s second World Cup match against Uruguay with a prime-time 8pm kick-off on Thursday June 19 as their first-pick match. This leaves the BBC with England’s opener against Italy on Sunday June 14 at 11pm.

But the Beeb — showing little faith in Roy Hodgson’s team — played safe with their picks during a 14-hour selection process by choosing England’s possible last-16 game against Greece or Colombia in preference to a potential jackpot England v Brazil quarter-final.

If that materialises, it will be the most valuable match in ITV history with a possible 25million UK audience.

No faith: The BBC have decided to select England's potential last-16 game rather than a possible clash with Brazil in the quarter-final

The Westminster meeting of sports chiefs organised by Culture Secretary Maria Miller to discuss match-fixing was not quite the summit of big beasts envisaged.

Football provided top powerbrokers in Alex Horne (FA), Shaun Harvey (Football League) and Nic Coward (Premier League) and rugby league their chief executive Nigel Wood. But cricket and rugby union were represented by lesser operatives Phil French (ECB) and Ben Calverley (RFU) while the Lawn Tennis Association sent their head of legal Stephen Farrow.