The England & Wales Cricket Board has banned amateur cricketer Brian Devine, aka ‘Clicky Ponting,’ who became an infamous legend among the cricket fans, for two years for a cheating scandal that was interesting, hilarious, and worrying all at the same time.
Further, Saltburn CC 2nd XI has been slapped with a relegation to a lower division, a fine, and 60 points for the next season.
During the English summer this year, a series of videos went viral in which Devine got accused of clicking his fingers while standing at the first slip to mimic the noise of the ball being edged as it simultaneously went past the edge of the batsman and was caught by the wicket-keeper.
In unison, the keeper and Devine, at first slip, would go up in an appeal for a caught-behind dismissal, with other teammates promptly joining in. On multiple occasions, it was found that the umpire would raise his finger to give the batter out, apparently being foxed by the clicking noise made by Devine into thinking that the batsman had edged the ball.
The batsman, invariably, would stand their ground for a few seconds to express their frustration and shock at the umpire’s decision.
This was not a singular instance of such a wicket. In one of Saltburn’s matches, against Shildon Railway CC, the wicket-keeper took 8 catches, and he averaged almost four catches per match in his eight games in the season until this matter was brought to public attention.
Further, Cricinfo had reported at the time that Saltburn had gained 39 dismissals through wicket-keeper catches in 13 matches Brian Devine had been playing, but only 5 such dismissals in 7 games when he wasn’t in the team.
Who is ‘Clicky Ponting’ and what happened to him?
‘Clicky Ponting’ was the joking name given to Brian Devine, an amateur cricketer of the Saltburn CC 2nd XI team. He went viral earlier this year in a cheating scandal, where he would deceive the umpire into thinking that the batsman had edged a delivery while he clicked his fingers as the ball went past the batter’s edge.
He has now been banned for two years by the ECB from all cricket, which includes “playing, coaching, umpiring, scoring and managing junior teams,” until September 29, 2028.
His team, Saltburn CC 2nd XI, has been relegated from Division Two to Division Three, handed a 60-point deduction, and the club has also been fined £300.
This issue was handled by the North Yorkshire and South Durham Cricket League (NYSD) under its General Conduct Regulations.
The NYSD said in its statement: “In late July, the League received complaints about the alleged conduct of a Saltburn CC second XI player in NYSD Division Two matches and commenced an investigation with the co-operation of Saltburn CC.
“The investigation ran over several weeks and included player interviews, written statements and a detailed review of video footage.”
Following a thorough investigation and disciplinary process, “Charges were subsequently brought against the player and Saltburn C.C. Both admitted the charges,” NYSD revealed.
“The League recognises the strain this has placed on many people, especially those who were abused online and in person. We ask everyone to respect that the formal process is now complete.”
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