Rotherham cricket team to be docked league points for repeated poor discipline

A LEADING Rotherham cricket team has been punished for the poor behaviour of its players this season and could be docked as many as 24 league points.
Whiston Parish Church celebrate a wicket in their league match at Conisbrough earlier this season.Whiston Parish Church celebrate a wicket in their league match at Conisbrough earlier this season.
Whiston Parish Church celebrate a wicket in their league match at Conisbrough earlier this season.

Whiston Parish Church's first team will be initially deducted 12 league points as a result of having accrued 15 or more disciplinary points in the Yorkshire Southern Premier League.

The deduction will kick in either at the end of this season or the start of next, whichever will have the greater impact.

In addition, Whiston's first team will also carry forward three disciplinary points — the 18 currently accrued, less the 15 for which the league point deduction above is made — to run for a 12-month period from August 16 in addition to which a suspended 12-league point deduction will apply until the end of season 2022. 

This will be applied if the Whiston team accrue a total of 15 disciplinary points during that period.

The club has accepted the punishment and will not appeal.

The sanctions follow a YCSPL Disciplinary Committee meeting last week which considered a report of misconduct by a Whiston player in a recent game against Conisbrough. 

In a statment, the league said: “The committee considered that there was deliberate physical contact between the player and a Conisbrough player, and that he also used language or gestures that were obscene, offensive or of a seriously insulting nature towards that player. 

“His actions clearly constituted a Level 2 breach of the ECB disciplinary code, and were not within the spirit of cricket.”

Accordingly, the following sanctions have been placed on the player:

- A ban for three weeks from all cricket from Friday, August 20, 2021, in addition to which an existing two-week suspended ban will come into force, making a five-week ban in total

- A ten-week suspended ban, in force until the end of season 2022

- Six disciplinary points have been applied to both the player and Whiston 1st team

The first team captain was also given a one-week ban from Friday, August 20 as a result of the 18 team disciplinary points now accrued by Whiston PCCC 1st team whilst under his captaincy this season.

Church are challenging for promotion to the top flight of the Yorkshire Southern Premier League and sit in the second automatic promotion spot in the Championship Division, 16 points clear of the third-placed club with just three games go to.

At the moment it looks likely Whiston will be promoted even with a 12-point deduction, meaning it would instead be applied from the start of next season in the Premier Division.

Whiston Parish Church secretary Peter Maw said: “We have had a number of incidents over the season, that were mistakes. It is potentially going to cost us in some shape or form.

“Our aim is to get promoted hopefully without the 12 points being triggered. We would have to take those next season and take that on the chin.

“We are disappointed as a club but they are the league rules and we have fallen foul of them. 

“We have got to go away and learn from that and hopefully put it behind us and move on.”

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