Saltburn Cricket Club have suspended a player at the centre of a cheating controversy for the foreseeable future, saying he will not play again pending the outcome of a league investigation. The fielder was accused of clicking his fingers to simulate the sound of a catch behind, with footage of several incidents going viral on social media.
Incident during division two match
The first video, posted on Monday evening, was from Saltburn's second XI victory over Norton in Division Two of North Yorkshire and South Durham Cricket League. It showed the fielder clicking his fingers as the ball passed the bat of Norton batter Noman Shabir, before being caught by wicketkeeper Josh Bowes, and the umpire gave him out.
Club concedes cup fixture
Saltburn, who sit 17 points clear at the top of the table, won the match by 159 runs. They announced they have conceded their second-team cup fixture against Marton on Wednesday.
Statement from Saltburn
A statement on Saltburn's social media channels read: “This is issued in response to the widely publicised complaint made against a Saltburn Cricket Club member and, as a consequence, against the club more generally.“We are treating this allegation with the utmost seriousness and, as a family-centric club, we are fully cooperating with the NYS League’s investigation.“We believe that the club acted decisively as soon as the complaint and investigation were made known to us. The player at the centre of the complaint has been suspended and will not play again for the club this season or in the foreseeable future, pending the outcome of this investigation.“Initial discussions have already taken place between club officials and the league.“This has been a very distressing and stressful experience for all those concerned, and we would ask that this reality is borne in mind and that personal boundaries are respected, as we are an amateur club entirely run by volunteers.”
Widespread attention
The video has now had more than 7.5m views on X, with several celebrities condemning the behaviour.
