A viral cheating row has erupted in the North Yorkshire and South Durham Cricket League.
Saltburn Cricket Club are currently under investigation after footage emerged appearing to show players cheating during matches.
The club currently sit top of division two after 15 matches following their latest win over Norton Cricket Club on Saturday.
However, a video of one of their wickets has prompted allegations of cheating from rival players and cricket fans.
Cricket ‘cheating’ scandal
Saltburn won the match by 159 runs after bowling out their opponents for 143.
The wicket of a Norton batsman has caused a commotion on social media, though.
Footage of the incident appears to show a fielder clicking his fingers as the ball passed his bat.
In doing so, the Saltburn player tricked the umpire into thinking there had been an edge before wicketkeeper caught the ball.
The batter was subsequently given out despite immediately protesting to the umpire before leaving the crease.
Evidence has since been uncovered by fans online which appears to show repeated instances of Saltburn players mimicking the sound of an edge with their fingers.
The fielder has been dubbed ‘Clicky Ponting’ – a play on the name of the former Australian batsman and captain.
Streams of some of their matches have since been removed from the club’s website.
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Suspicions have also been raised over the statistics of wicketkeeper, who has taken 31 catches in eight matches.
Those include eight in a single innings, with the current Test record standing at just seven.
The North Yorkshire and South Durham Cricket League have now confirmed an investigation has been launched.
League statement
In a statement, they explained: “The League have received a formal complaint regarding alleged incidents in a Division Two game on Saturday.
“A full investigation has been initiated and until such time as the formal processes are complete no further comment will be made.”
Their response follows multiple claims from local players after the videos went viral on X.
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Ben Mummery was the first to accuse Saltburn players of cheating as he shared a video of one incident.
Alongside the clip, he wrote: “Saltburn first slip clicks his fingers to imitate an edge, bat nowhere near it and given out.
“This is about the worst case of cheating I’ve ever seen in cricket. Apparently, their keeper has a huge amount of catches this season.”
Meanwhile, Middlesbrough second team captain Rory Cotterill also weighed in by revealing an incident during a recent match against Saltburn.
He commented: “Boro 2s skipper here, was two more incidents during this game, leading to a 15 and 16-year-old being cheated out of an innings, along with this one.
“I was at the non-strikers end at the time, unknowingly watching them cheat in real time. We lost this game by 29 runs. Shocking.”
Middlesbrough lost by 29 runs to Saltburn on June 27, with Cotterill scoring six runs from 22 balls.
