Alleged cricket cheating scandal involving finger-clicking to deceive umpires in England amateur matches
Consensus Summary
A viral video of a fielder clicking his fingers to mimic a cricket ball hitting the bat has sparked outrage in England’s amateur cricket leagues. The incident, which occurred during a division two match between Saltburn 2nd XI and Norton 2nd XI, led the North Yorkshire and South Durham Cricket League to launch a full investigation after receiving a formal complaint. The video, viewed millions of times on social media, was described as the worst case of cheating in cricket by the person who posted it. Saltburn won the match by 159 runs and were leading their division by 17 points. The scandal, dubbed 'Clickgate,' has drawn comparisons to past cheating controversies like Sandpapergate in 2018 and ball-tampering incidents involving Murray Mints in 2005. While the league has promised a thorough review, no further details have been released pending the investigation.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- A video of a fielder clicking fingers to imitate the sound of a bat hitting the ball went viral on social media
- The incident occurred in a division two match involving Saltburn 2nd XI and Norton 2nd XI
- The North Yorkshire and South Durham Cricket League launched an investigation into the incident
- The video was described as 'about the worst case of cheating I’ve ever seen in cricket' by Ben Mummery
- The league received a formal complaint regarding a game on Saturday
- Saltburn won the match by 159 runs and were top of division two by 17 points
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- The video was viewed millions of times on X
- TV presenter Piers Morgan called the player the 'biggest cheat in cricket history'
- The league did not reveal which teams were involved in the complaint
- The investigation is focused on the clicking incident
- The incident was dubbed 'Clickgate' or 'Clicky Ponting' online
- A similar situation occurred in a 29-run defeat to Saltburn in June
- Saltburn’s keeper had a huge number of catches this season
- The league confirmed the complaint was about a game on Saturday 25 July 2026
- Reference to Sandpapergate in 2018 and Murray Mints ball-tampering in 2005
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- The ABC article does not specify the date of the match, while the Guardian states it occurred on Saturday 25 July 2026
- The ABC article mentions the video was viewed millions of times on X, while the Guardian states it was shared more than 3 million times
Source Articles
'Biggest cheat in cricket history': Clicking scandal causes outrage
Claims a slips fielder cheated by clicking his fingers as the ball passed the bat in an amateur cricket match leads to an investigation.
‘It’s not cricket’: cheating row as ‘Clicky Ponting’ appears to dupe umpire
Viral video apparently shows a Saltburn 2nd XI fielder clicking his fingers to mimic a batter’s nick The ball is bowled, the batter plays a shot and it’s caught by the wicketkeeper to cheers all round. The batter is clearly bemused. Did he hit it? Or … did a fielder click his fingers to mimic a nick? A row has erupted in the normally friendly, if ultra-competitive, world of English club cricket after footage went viral of alleged cheating. Australian cricket will always have Sandpapergate . The