The finger click that fooled an umpire
A North Yorkshire cricket match has become the centre of an international controversy after a fielder was accused of using a finger click to help secure a dismissal. Brian Devine, a 38-year-old Saltburn Cricket Club player now nicknamed “Clicky Ponting”, allegedly clicked his fingers as the ball passed the bat during a second-team match against Norton on July 25.
The ball was caught by wicketkeeper Josh Bowes, prompting Saltburn’s players to appeal and the umpire to dismiss Norton batter Noman Shabir for a duck. Shabir protested that he had not touched the ball, while footage from the match appeared to show Devine moving his fingers at the precise moment the ball passed the bat.
Saltburn went on to win the North Yorkshire and South Durham Cricket League Division Two match by 159 runs. According to Sky News, the original video subsequently attracted approximately 7.5 million views on X and prompted the league to open a formal investigation.
Saltburn suspends Devine
Saltburn has now suspended Devine for the remainder of the season and potentially beyond. The club has also forfeited its next fixture, a Division Two Hundred match against Marton, as the controversy surrounding the amateur team continues to grow.
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“We are treating this allegation with the utmost seriousness and, as a family-centric club, we are fully cooperating with the league’s investigation,” Saltburn said in a statement quoted by ABC News.
“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.”
Saltburn described the situation as “a very distressing and stressful experience for all those concerned” and asked that personal boundaries be respected. The club also stressed that it is an amateur organisation operated entirely by volunteers.
New footage fuels fears it happened before
The controversy has expanded beyond the original Norton dismissal after internet users discovered additional footage that appeared to show similar incidents. The videos allegedly feature Devine clicking his fingers while positioned at slip as the ball travels through to the wicketkeeper.
Some of the footage appears to date from 2021, when Devine represented Pudsey St Lawrence in the Bradford Premier League. His former club said it had been unaware of any alleged misconduct during his time there and would have acted had a complaint been made.
The new material, described by news.com.au, has fuelled allegations that the incident against Norton may not have been an isolated act. However, neither Devine nor his current or former clubs have been found guilty of repeated cheating, and the league’s investigation remains ongoing.
Statistics add another twist
Online investigators have also examined Saltburn’s scorecards in an attempt to determine whether the alleged tactic may have influenced previous matches. One amateur analysis claimed that Saltburn wicketkeepers recorded 39 catches across 13 matches involving Devine, compared with five catches in seven matches when he did not play.
Those figures do not prove wrongdoing and have not been presented as official findings by the league. They have nevertheless added to the questions surrounding Saltburn, particularly after one wicketkeeper was reported to have taken eight catches in a single innings.
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The North Yorkshire and South Durham Cricket League confirmed that it received a formal complaint concerning alleged incidents during the July 25 match. “A full investigation has been initiated and until such time as the formal processes are complete no further comment will be made,” the league said.
Allegations remain unproven
Devine has not publicly responded in detail to the allegations. Until the league completes its investigation, the videos and statistical patterns remain evidence being debated online rather than proof of a sustained cheating operation.
What began with one unusual dismissal in a second-team match has nevertheless become a damaging episode for Saltburn. The “Clicky Ponting” nickname may have given the story a comic edge, but the investigation now concerns serious questions about fair play, player conduct and trust in amateur cricket.
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