Basingstoke & North Hants' at May's Bounty [Neil Smith]
Two teenage Basingstoke & North Hants cricketers are among eight players to have been suspended - with the May’s Bounty club itself severely disciplined by the Southern Premier League - following on-field disciplinary breaches in last month’s 17-run Division 1 win at Rowledge.
The youngsters are batsman/wicketkeeper George Metzger, who was banned for five matches by the club following an internal inquiry held several days after the game, and opening bowler Tyler Bradley (left), subsequently suspended for six games by the Premier League itself.
The 19-year olds were both charged with a ‘threat of assault or physical interference’ on a Rowledge batsman under the SPL’s Disciplinary Charter.
Basingstoke captain Dan Belcher received (and has served) a two-match internal suspension for failing to control his players, while five other members of the side that beat Rowledge each picked up a one-match ban ruling them out of the subsequent SPL match against Andover at May’s Bounty on August 21.
A seriously weakened Basingstoke side lost that game by a colossal 184-runs to Andover, the heaviest defeat in the club’s history.
The Premier League has charged Basingstoke & North Hants with bringing the league into disrepute and found the behaviour of the bulk of their players at Rowledge “unbecoming of a member club of the SPL.”
Basingstoke have been fined £100, with 41 points deducted from their playing record, which equates to the 21 they received for winning the Rowledge match and a further 20-point deduction from their season’s tally, which has dropped them to a final seventh place in the table.
Sentence
The club has been warned by the SPL that any further breaches of discipline will result in a review of their divisional standing.
Metzger, whose five-match ban included one suspended from his short time at Havant earlier this season, will have completed his sentence in time for the start of the 2022 season.
But, like Bradley, will not be eligible to play in Sunday’s Southern Premier League Plate final against Waterlooville at the Ageas Bowl, 3pm.
It is unlikely Bradley, who won the Division 1 bowling award this season with 29 wickets, will play any competitive cricket for Basingstoke or elsewhere until next June when his ban will have been served.
Bringing matters to a close, ECB Southern Premier League chairman Steve Vear MBE reflected: “Outside of one nasty spitting incident, this was one of the worse displays of behaviour at a league game for some time and we certainly have never had the need for a club or the league itself to ban so many players at once.
“We are thankful to the umpires for decisive action and look forward to all parties being able to move on from this sorry affair.”
The youngsters are batsman/wicketkeeper George Metzger, who was banned for five matches by the club following an internal inquiry held several days after the game, and opening bowler Tyler Bradley (left), subsequently suspended for six games by the Premier League itself.
The 19-year olds were both charged with a ‘threat of assault or physical interference’ on a Rowledge batsman under the SPL’s Disciplinary Charter.
Basingstoke captain Dan Belcher received (and has served) a two-match internal suspension for failing to control his players, while five other members of the side that beat Rowledge each picked up a one-match ban ruling them out of the subsequent SPL match against Andover at May’s Bounty on August 21.
A seriously weakened Basingstoke side lost that game by a colossal 184-runs to Andover, the heaviest defeat in the club’s history.
The Premier League has charged Basingstoke & North Hants with bringing the league into disrepute and found the behaviour of the bulk of their players at Rowledge “unbecoming of a member club of the SPL.”
Basingstoke have been fined £100, with 41 points deducted from their playing record, which equates to the 21 they received for winning the Rowledge match and a further 20-point deduction from their season’s tally, which has dropped them to a final seventh place in the table.
Sentence
The club has been warned by the SPL that any further breaches of discipline will result in a review of their divisional standing.
Metzger, whose five-match ban included one suspended from his short time at Havant earlier this season, will have completed his sentence in time for the start of the 2022 season.
But, like Bradley, will not be eligible to play in Sunday’s Southern Premier League Plate final against Waterlooville at the Ageas Bowl, 3pm.
It is unlikely Bradley, who won the Division 1 bowling award this season with 29 wickets, will play any competitive cricket for Basingstoke or elsewhere until next June when his ban will have been served.
Bringing matters to a close, ECB Southern Premier League chairman Steve Vear MBE reflected: “Outside of one nasty spitting incident, this was one of the worse displays of behaviour at a league game for some time and we certainly have never had the need for a club or the league itself to ban so many players at once.
“We are thankful to the umpires for decisive action and look forward to all parties being able to move on from this sorry affair.”
George Metzger completes five-match ban after this Sunday's SPL Plate final.
