'Worst case of cheating': English Cricket marred by new allegations
An investigation has been launched after an English cricket team was accused of cheating during a regional match.
Saltburn Cricket Club’s 2nd XI team currently top the North Yorkshire & South Durham Cricket League Division 2 table, but accusations of cheating could derail the charge for the title.
In a recent fixture against Norton CC, Durham 2nd XI, which was livestreamed on Saltburn’s YouTube channel, viewers appear to have spotted a fielder clicking his fingers to mimic the sound of the batsman edging the ball to the wicketkeeper.
If the batsman’s bat or gloves make any contact with the ball and it is subsequently caught by the wicketkeeper without it bouncing, the batsman is given out.
The incident took place in the 11th over of Norton’s innings straight after they had lost their second wicket.
The new batsman attempted to play a defensive shot, but a sound could be heard as the ball passed his bat and the umpire gave him out.
An investigation has been launched into an alleged cheating scandal in regional English ricket. Photo / Saltburn CC
The batsman then appeared to try to convince the umpire he had not hit the ball, but the decision was final and he had to walk.
The situation didn’t improve for Norton as they went on to lose the match by 160 runs.
Clips of the incident have circulated on social media which appear to show distance between the bat and ball while local cricketer Ben Mummery has called the incident out on X.
A close-up shot of the fieldsman appears to show his hands making a shape which could be used to make a noise. Photo / Saltburn CC
“First slip clicks his fingers to imitate an edge, bat nowhere near it and given out,“ he wrote.
“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.”
Another local player responded to the post with video of another incident claiming something similar had happened.
“Boro 2s skippa here, was 2 more incidents during this game, leading to a 15 and 16-year-old being cheated out of an innings, along with this one,” they said.
“I was at the non-striker’s end at the time, unknowingly watching them cheat in real time. We lost this game by 29 runs. Shocking.”
Statistics from the season show that Saltburn’s wicketkeeper has made 31 catches in his last eight matches, including eight in one innings.
The record for the most number of catches by a wicket-keeper in a single innings stands at seven and is shared by Ian Smith, Wasim Bari, Bob Taylor, Ridley Jacobs and Joshua Da Silva.
The league has since confirmed an investigation has been launched into the alleged incident.
“The league have received a formal complaint regarding alleged incidents in a Division Two game on Saturday, 25th July, 2026,” the statement read.
“A full investigation has been initiated and, until such time as the formal processes are complete, no further comment will be made.”
Cricket has been marred by multiple high-profile cheating scandals, including Australia’s test team using sandpaper to rough up a ball which saw Cameron Bancroft, Steve Smith and David Warner face bans.
Pakistan players Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif, and Mohammad Amir were punished with prison sentences after being found guilty of deliberately bowling no balls against England.
South Africa captain Hansie Cronje was also banned for life after he admitted to taking money from bookmakers to fix matches during his team’s tour of India.
Take your Radio, Podcasts and Music with you
Get the iHeart App
Get more of the radio, music and podcasts you love with the FREE iHeart app. Scan the QR code to download now.
Download from the app stores
Stream unlimited music, thousands of radio stations and podcasts all in one app. iHeart is easy to use and all FREE
