Saltburn Cricket Club has conceded a cup match for its second team amid an ongoing investigation into alleged cheating during a recent game. The club stated they were unable to assemble a team for Wednesday evening's fixture against Marton's second team due to the "holiday season." The match had initially been scheduled to proceed as planned earlier on Wednesday.
The North Yorkshire and South Durham Cricket League launched an investigation into Saltburn on Monday evening following a complaint lodged after the second XI's victory over Norton in Division 2. Footage of the incident, which has since gone viral on social media, is central to the controversy.
The allegations center on Saltburn batter Brian Devine, who is accused of clicking his finger at the precise moment the ball passed Norton batter Noman Shabir's bat. The wicket was given after an appeal to the umpire, with the ball being caught by wicketkeeper Josh Bowes. Since the initial video emerged, other clips purportedly showing similar incidents involving Devine and Saltburn from previous matches have also appeared online.
The original video has garnered over seven and a half million views on the platform X, and Devine has been nicknamed 'Clicky Ponting' on social media. The BBC has attempted to contact Devine for comment.
A meeting involving representatives from Saltburn, the league, and legal counsel took place on Tuesday night, but no outcomes have been publicly disclosed. Officials from the league, Saltburn, Norton, and the England and Wales Cricket Board have declined to comment on the matter.
The cancelled game was a first-round match in the Division Two Hundred competition, a 100-ball-per-side format similar to The Hundred.