A small village cricket squad has found itself at the heart of an international uproar following accusations of cheating. Allegedly, one of their fielders duped the umpires by snapping his fingers to mimic the sound of a bat edge, effectively deceiving them into a wrongful call.
The North Yorkshire and South Durham League has initiated a formal inquiry into these cheating claims targeting Saltburn Cricket Club. This follows the circulation of video evidence online, which has intensified scrutiny on the club.
The video clip, which swiftly gained traction on social media, seemingly captures Saltburn’s first slip pulling off the deception by clicking his fingers. This move reportedly led to the batsman being incorrectly given out, fueling widespread debate.
One of Saltburn’s seasoned players, 38-year-old Mr. Devine, has been a familiar face in local North Yorkshire cricket circles for many years through his performances for the club.
Mr. Devine is not only renowned for his skills on the field but is also noted for his past contributions to the Pudsey St Lawrence Cricket Club. His impressive form was crucial in securing the Bradford Premier League’s second-tier championship for the team in 2023.
Following this achievement, he returned to Saltburn for the start of the 2024 season, with one social media post noting: ‘Excellent batting on Saturday from returning legend Brian Devine. 95 runs.’
There was such excitement about his return that he even managed to secure a sponsorship deal with local Indian restaurant Spices of Saltburn.
Amateur cricket player Brian Devine has been caught appearing to click his fingers to make it appear that a batter has been caught behind when in fact they haven’t hit the ball at all
Devine has been dubbed as ‘Clicky Ponting’ on social media for his actions on the cricket field
Saltburn player has been caught on camera clicking his fingers whenever ball was near bat
Norton batsman Noman Shabir protested that he didn’t touch the ball after being given out
Mr Devoine, a father-of-one, from Guisborough, Cleveland, works as a company secretary at Northallerton Auctions, which specialises in auctions for livestock and farm machinery.
When contacted about the viral video by the Daily Mail, and told he had been identified as ‘Clicky Ponting’, Brian responded ‘Naturally I can’t comment on that.’
Then when told he was being widely accused of cheating, and asked whether there was some other explanation for what takes place in the videos, he said: ‘I don’t want to talk about it. I’m at work.’
From his social media posts, in addition to his obvious love for cricket, Brian also appears to be a big fan of Boris Johnson.
In one post from 2022 he wrote: ‘Top man Boris. Others may try to put you down! I won’t have a bad word said! I am off to get my kettle.’
The accused cricketer’s mother-in-law today told the Mail he is a ‘man of integrity.’
Georgina Vaughan, the mother of Devine’s partner Clare, said the family had been shocked by the scale of the cheating row.
She said: ‘It was only a little village cricket match and now it’s become this thing that’s all over the news and social media.
‘It has got totally out of hand and there is nothing that any of us want to say.’
Asked whether Devine was a man of integrity, she replied: ‘He certainly is.’
Footage from Saltburn’s 2nd XI match with Norton Cricket Club in Division Two of the North Yorkshire and South Durham League last weekend showed a ball delivered by Saltburn bowler Sam Morrison passing the bat of Norton batsman Noman Shabir without making contact with it.
At the same time, Mr Devine playing at first slip seems to click his fingers.
When Saltburn wicketkeeper Josh Bowes takes the ball, Saltburn appeal and the umpire gives Shabir out.
Shabir can clearly be seen objecting to his dismissal and seems to indicate to the umpire that he did not hit the ball and that the noise heard was a clicking of fingers instead.
The clip and other similar evidence have attracted international media attention and gone viral online and on social media.
A statement from the North Yorkshire and South Durham League read: ‘The League has received a formal complaint regarding alleged incidents in a Division Two game on Saturday 25th July 2026. A full investigation has been initiated and until such time as the formal processes are complete, no further comment will be made.’
Saltburn won their match with Norton by a mammoth 159 runs.
Devine has been dubbed ‘Clicky Ponting’ – in a light-hearted reference to Australia legend Ricky Ponting.
That’s as far as the funny side goes though with the likes of Piers Morgan condemning the actions.
Taking to X, the avid cricket fan wrote: ‘Outrageous cheating, and just the tip of the iceberg from all that’s come out since it was exposed.
‘Clicky Ponting (as he is now known) and various teammates at Saltburn CC, have clearly been at this shameful scam for years. Imagine doing this in local amateur cricket? Pathetic.’
Other clips online appear to show Devine clicking his fingers to cheat umpires and earn dismissals unfairly in other matches.
One such example is a video showing footage of a match between Saltburn and Middlesbrough second XI.
Other incidences have been found of Devine clicking his finger in previous matches for wickets
The North Yorkshire and South Durham League have begin a full investigation into Saltburn
Saltburn have been widely-condemned on social media following multiple videos emerging
The actions of Saltburn have been described as ‘the worst case of cheating’ seen in cricket online, with it likely that long bans will be handed out. Unconfirmed reports online suggested that Devine has already been suspended for the rest of the season by Saltburn. Daily Mail Sport approached both Saltburn and Norton for comment but did not receive a reply.
In 13 matches across 2026 with Devine as the slip catcher, Saltburn’s wicket-keeper has taken 39 catches. In seven matches without Devine, the wicket-keeper has taken just five.
In addition to the numerous video clips seemingly showing Devine clicking his fingers online, further suspicion over Saltburn’s antics has been aroused by the scorecards of previous matches.
On July 18, Saltburn’s second XI played Shildon Railway CC with wicketkeeper Bowes taking a mammoth eight catches. Such a number is highly unusual. The record number of dismissals for a wicketkeeper in a Test match innings is seven. Bowes is averaging almost four catches per match in eight games this season. The investigation remains ongoing.
It is the responsibility of the North Yorkshire and South Durham League to investigate any allegations of cheating or complaints over the behaviour of teams as well as imposing any sanctions. As such, it is unlikely that at this stage the England & Wales Cricket Board – as English cricket’s governing body – will get involved directly.