A cheating row in an English league match has gone viral after one of the fielders was accused of clicking his fingers as the ball passes the bat to imitate the noise of an edge to the wicketkeeper.
Saltburn CC beat Norton CC by 159 runs in their second XI fixture last week, but an investigation has since been launched by the North Yorkshire and South Durham league, after a number of videos emerged online showing an apparent trend of caught-behind dismissals involving a player who has since been dubbed "Clicky Ponting".
@Saltburncc First slip clicks his fingers to imitate an edge, bat nowhere near it and given out.
— Ben Mummery (@ben_mummery) July 27, 2026
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.@talkSPORT @bbctms @SkyCricket @TailendersPod pic.twitter.com/iM7lZfKF5q
In his original post on X, Ben Mummery highlighted one dismissal in which keeper and slip appeal in unison as the ball passes bat, with the batter looking bemused as the umpire raises his finger. He added that the incident was "the worst case of cheating" he had ever seen.
Subsequent users have identified further video clips and scorecard evidence, many of them from the social-cricket site Play Cricket, that suggest that this was not an isolated incident.
In Saltburn's previous match, against Shildon Railway CC, the second XI wicketkeeper took eight catches - which is more than the Test record of seven - and has been averaging almost four per match in his eight games this season.
Another opposition captain posted video on X alleging that his side, Middlesbrough, has been involved in two similar incidents in June, while online analysis revealed that Saltburn had achieved 39 keeper catches in 13 matches when the slip fielder, Brian Devine, had been playing, compared to 5 in seven without him in the team.
Been requested to split it by the matches where Devine (the slip clicker) played, and it's even more stark.
— max tempers (@maxtempers) July 28, 2026
39 keeper catches in 13 matches with Devine
5 keeper catches in 7 without pic.twitter.com/uHgmqcls37
In a statement, NYSD said: "The League have received a formal complaint regarding alleged incidents in a Division Two game on Saturday. A full investigation has been initiated and until such time as the formal processes are complete no further comment will be made."