Saltburn Cricket Club beat Norton by 159 runs on Saturday. But the North Yorkshire and South Durham Cricket League Division Two clash didn’t fade away. A 38-year-old fielder is now banned from the pitch. The club suspended the player at the centre of the viral ‘Clicky Ponting’ scandal following cheating accusations.
The veteran amateur allegedly clicked his fingers to simulate the sound of a bat edge. Match officials routinely ruled batters out. And the internet noticed.
Brian Devine normally fields at first slip. He works as a company secretary for a livestock auction house. Video footage of his actions racked up over 7 million views on X, and critics quickly dubbed him “Clicky Ponting”—a direct nod to the Australian captain. The club acted fast. Officials officially suspended the accused fielder and conceded their Wednesday cup fixture against Marton.
“We are treating this allegation with the utmost seriousness,” Saltburn officials declared. They called the ordeal a “very distressing and stressful experience for all those concerned.”
Devine will sit out the rest of the 2026 season. His family pushed back against the criticism. Georgia Vaughan—his mother-in-law—defended his reputation immediately. She insisted the public reaction got “totally out of hand” and praised him as “a man of integrity.” Devine himself offered a blunt reply to reporters: “Naturally I can’t comment on that.”
Wicketkeeper Josh Bowes celebrated wildly in the viral clips. He claimed eight catches in a single innings. The all-time Test cricket record for dismissals in an innings is just seven. Opposing batters spoke out immediately, and they explicitly detailed how the finger-clicking tactic was allegedly used in multiple matches.
“From all the evidence he’s done it to all the clubs in pretty much every game,” Norton player Noman Shabir said. “Interestingly, when he got found out and the clicking stopped, the wickets also stopped for a long time.”
Middlesbrough captain Rory Cotterill echoed the frustration. His squad lost to Saltburn by 29 runs earlier this year. “I was at the non-striker’s end… watching them cheat in real time. We lost this game by 29 runs. Shocking.”
NYSD League Opens Formal Probe Into Match Conduct
The NYSD League launched a formal investigation. Punishments could range from lifetime player bans to throwing Saltburn out of the division entirely. League officials refused to offer a timeline on the verdict. Fans and opposing teams are now waiting to see exactly what they get hit with.
Major sports figures—including Dale Steyn and Steve Harmison—weighed in online. Piers Morgan publicly labeled Devine the biggest cheat in cricket history. The hosts of The Grade Cricketer podcast mocked Morgan over the comment. They offered to help fund legal representation for Devine, and they pitched a penguin fund to train umpires better.
Saltburn scrubbed several past match livestreams from their website. An Indian restaurant named Spices reportedly dropped their local sponsorship of Devine.