RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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The Saltburn player at the centre of an alleged cheating scandal has been suspended by the club for the "foreseeable future".
The club were placed under investigation on Monday by the North Yorkshire and South Durham Cricket League following a complaint made in the aftermath of their 159-run win over Norton in a second XI Division 2 match.
Brian Devine, the Saltburn player at the centre of the allegations, is alleged to have clicked his fingers as the ball passed the bat of Norton's Noman Shabir during the match and was taken by wicketkeeper Josh Bowes. Following an appeal, the wicket was given.
Video footage of the incident went viral online and has been reported on around the world.
A club statement read: "This is issued in response to the widely publicised complaint made against a Saltburn Cricket Club member and, as a consequence, against the club more generally.
"We are treating this allegation with the utmost seriousness and, as a family-centric club, we are fully investigating with the NYSD's [North Yorkshire and South Durham Cricket League] investigation.
"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 forseeable future, pending the outcome of this investigation.
"Initial discussions have already taken place between club officials and the league.
"This has been a very distressing and stressful experience for all those concerned, and we would ask that this reality is borne in mind and that personal boundaries are respected, as we are an amateur club entirely run by volunteers."
Saltburn's second team had been due to play on Wednesday night in a cup game against Marton's second team.
However, Saltburn conceded the match at around lunchtime. BBC Sport were told that Saltburn were unable to get a team together because of the "holiday season".
Since the original video was posted on Monday evening, other videos involving Saltburn and Devine from previous matches have also been posted alleging similar incidents.
The original video has received over seven and a half million views on X and Devine has been dubbed as 'Clicky Ponting' on social media. The BBC has approached Devine for comment.
A meeting on Tuesday night was held between Saltburn, the league and legal representatives though any outcomes from that meeting are yet to be made public.
The league, Norton and the England and Wales Cricket Board have all declined to comment on the incident.
Saltburn's second team were due to play against Marton in a first-round match in the Division Two Hundred competition, a 100-ball-per-side format akin to The Hundred.
Reports from elsewhere earlier this week claimed that Spices, a local Indian restaurant to Saltburn, was to drop its sponsorship of Devine.
Spices owner Akmol Hussain has told BBC Sport that the restaurant has only ever sponsored the club rather than any individual players and is happy to continue doing so, pending the investigation.
"We'd like to continue sponsoring the club, but we want the issue to be dealt with," said Hussain.
"We see [Brian] as a representative of the club, not the owner of the club. Cricket is a gentleman's game.
"We want to continue supporting the club. It should be truly investigated and dealt with by the league."
Why finger-clicking 'scandal' has gripped sporting world - Agnew
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