Somerset captain Justin Langer will escape immediate punishment for his dissent towards the umpires after he was given out at Hampshire last week.

Langer reacted angrily to being adjudged caught at slip on the second day of the drawn County Championship match at the Rose Bowl.

Nick Cook and Test umpire Mark Benson immediately reported the Australian to the England and Wales Cricket Board, who have reprimanded him.

The offence will remain on his record for two years, but only if Langer commits a further Level One breach during that period will he receive penalty points.

Langer was guilty of a previous Level One offence in early August 2007 when he whacked his stumps with his bat after being dismissed against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge. But his record was clean as 24 months had passed since that incident.

Suspensions are rare for cricketers, although Surrey’s Mark Ramprakash missed the first two games of this season after for repeatedly swearing at an umpire last year.

And, as Langer is not expected to be with Somerset next season, there should be no further action as long as he stays out of trouble between now and September 27.

Meanwhile, Somerset CCC favourite Steffan Jones looks set to leave Taunton later this month.

The popular Welsh seamer’s contract is due to end, and he has not played for the first-team this year.

Jones has spent the second half of the campaign on loan at Derbyshire, and the East Midlands county, for whom he also played in 2006, will offer him a contract.

However, news of his availability has been circulated to all of the other counties by the Professional Cricketers Association.

The 35-year-old has played for Somerset for 10 years over two spells, taking 224 wickets at an average of 36.79 apiece.

He dismissed three former Test players yesterday on the first day of Derbyshire’s Championship game with Kent. They could yet win promotion to Division One, meaning he might make at least one more appearance at Taunton.