A North East Premier League cricket match at Burnopfield Cricket Club near Newcastle was abandoned on Saturday evening after a runaway bull stormed the playing field and charged at players. The young bull, weighing approximately 800kg, escaped from a nearby farm and traveled about a mile to the ground, arriving at around 3pm.
Safety Concerns and Attempts to Remove the Bull
Martin Oswell, director of the Tyneside club, said safety concerns quickly arose as the animal charged at players and farmers who attempted to recapture it. Two farmers tried to stop the bull, and it hit one of them, though he was not injured. Oswell described the bull as a juvenile, incredibly fit, athletic, and quite dangerous.
Police were called to the scene, but the bull eventually left "of its own accord," according to Oswell. The bull's owner brought a cow to the cricket club in an effort to entice the animal off the field, but that attempt also failed. Oswell noted that the bull was very frightened and spooked.
Impact on the Match
Oswell stated that there was no chance the game would restart before the cutoff time. Initially, the situation seemed novel and funny, but the club never thought it would lead to the match being abandoned. At the time of interruption, Burnopfield CC, who are second in the North East Premier League, had scored 226 runs against opponents Hetton Lyons, who were 12 for one.
