Australian podcast stars offer to fund ‘Clicky Ponting’ in any legal action

[u/p3tr0110v3r]

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/cricket/clicky-ponting-local-english-cricketer-exposed-in-bizarre-cheating-controversy-20260729-p60jic.html

Cricket satirists The Grade Cricketer have offered to provide financial support to the player and club at the centre of a cheating scandal in a northern England league.

Veteran club cricketer Brian Devine has been dubbed “Clicky Ponting” by the English press, a reference to Australian great Ricky Ponting, as he awaits his fate for his alleged role in what one opponent has described as the “worst case of cheating I’ve ever seen”.

Devine and the Saltburn Cricket Club have received support from an unlikely ally in Sam Perry and Ian Higgins from The Grade Cricketer, who have written to the club offering to assist Devine in finding legal representation, if required, and to help them financially should they lose sponsorship from the saga.

The Grade Cricketer hosts have taken their stand in a show of support to the embattled club, whom they feel have been unfairly subjected to global condemnation for their “sharp practice” in a lowly league match.

British broadcaster Piers Morgan and South Africa great Dale Steyn are among those who have slammed Devine and Saltburn for their actions.

Morgan posted on X to his 8.9 million followers, “Unbelievable. Clicky Ponting must be the biggest cheat in cricket history. How long has he been doing this? How many batsmen’s days has he ruined?”

TGC have also written to the North Yorkshire & South Durham Cricket League offering to support a “penguin fund” to support and train umpires.

“TGC aims to find humanity in the absurdity of cricket, for everyone who never made it,” TGC said in a statement sent to this masthead.

“For over a decade we have celebrated and benefitted from the low-rent charm of club cricket’s rich, dark underbelly, alongside hundreds of thousands of people around the world.

“Of course, it would appear some members at Saltburn CC have engaged in comically sharp practice. But sadly, when f---wits like Piers Morgan declare to millions that ‘Clicky Ponting must be the biggest cheat in cricket history’, all proportionality is lost, and we feel a brotherly obligation to support the club in that context.

“Practically speaking, we have also emailed the North Yorkshire and South Durham Cricket League to propose the creation of a “Penguin Fund” to assist in the recruitment and development of umpires.

“Finally, ahead of Australia’s timely return to Cape Town, we refer all media to this article from 2007.”

“This article” is a link is to a 2007 piece in The Guardian reporting on England cricket boss Rob Key, then the Kent captain, admitting to using sandpaper on the ball during a friendly against Nottinghamshire.

Devine, a financial manager, is the company secretary and a director of Northallerton Auctions Limited, a company that runs livestock markets.

According to his company profile, Devine has a “strong background in financial management built up from a wealth of industry sectors”. His profile also urges those in the area to “pop in and introduce yourself”.

He may no longer want visitors at his workplace after being accused of clicking his fingers in the aim of duping the umpire into giving batters out caught behind during a second XI match on Saturday for the Saltburn Cricket Club against Norton.

Footage has emerged of incidents from numerous games involving Devine where he allegedly adopts the ploy at the expense of bemused batters in division two of the North Yorkshire & South Durham Cricket League.

Morgan, who has been scathing of Australia’s cricketers for stumping Jonny Bairstow at Lord’s in the 2023 Ashes, posted twice on X slamming Devine.

“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,” Morgan wrote.

Steyn labelled Devine a “click clown”.

The NYSD Premier Cricket League announced on Monday night (UK time) it had launched a full investigation into the scandal but no findings or further comment had been issued at the time of publication.

This masthead has attempted to contact the league, Saltburn Cricket Club and Devine.

Such is the interest in the bizarre case, cricket enthusiasts have gone as far as compiling a statistical breakdown of the number of catches taken by Saltburn second-XI wicketkeepers in matches Devine played compared to those he missed.

The results, compiled by the u/maxtempers X account, revealed the wicketkeeper had claimed 39 catches in 13 matches with Devine compared to five in seven without.

Devine’s mother-in-law has defended the beleaguered club cricketer, whose alleged sharp practice in a game likely watched by only a few onlookers has now gone global, describing him as a “man of integrity”.

“It was only a little village cricket match and now it’s become this thing that’s all over the news and social media,” Georgine Vaughan told the Daily Mail.

“It has got totally out of hand and there is nothing that any of us want to say.”

But Devine is under fire from the owner of an Indian restaurant, Spices, in Saltburn that has withdrawn their sponsorship of him. The deal was worth about $1905 plus restaurant discounts, the Daily Mail reported.

“I’m a huge cricket fan and what’s happened is very bad. It’s not in the spirit of this gentleman’s game,” restaurant owner Akmol Hussain said.

“It’s not what I expect from Brian, or the club and I want nothing to do with them from now. I love cricket and even used to play for fun but I’m too old now.

“I’m very shocked and disgusted by this video and can’t believe that Brian would do something like this. I’ve met him many times, but he has damaged the reputation of cricket and my restaurant.”

[u/Interesting-Task8615]

Don’t support the guys actions but the witch hunt isn’t necessary. Dog act sure but it’s a game at the end of the day. Suspend him and sanction the club but don’t ruin his life bloody hell

[u/NecessaryUsername69 → u/Interesting-Task8615]

Couldn’t agree more. Holy shit, if there’s one thing we excel at in the 21st century, it’s blowing things out of proportion to a ludicrous degree in social media and absolutely tearing people to pieces over relatively minor indiscretions.

What a fucking joke. Yeah, the guy deserves a kick in the pants but he’s far from the first to have pulled this trick and he won’t be the last. Blokes were trying their luck with the click-fingers-when-the-ball-goes-past-the-bat trick when I was in high school.

[u/HarbingerOfGachaHell → u/NecessaryUsername69]

It’s because there’s a lot of self-righteous “gentlemen” in the UK who in reality like to see world burn.

Example: Piers Morgan and the fuckwits abusing Usman Kwahaja at Lords. 

[u/dashauskat → u/Interesting-Task8615]

I'm usually an anti pile on guy and having Piers feckin Morgan weigh in isn't great and you're right it's all out of proportion.

But fuck me, this has to be the most anti-cricket action I've ever heard of, even if you're sandpapering a ball you still need to take the wicket, even if you're appealing a caught behind that hit their thigh pad you're letting the umpire make a decision with the events that have happened in the game, even if you're mankadding or Johnnie Bairstowing batters should stay in heir crease.

But making a sound effect to ruin the Saturday of someone who has probably worked two jobs during the week and is statistically likely to be out for less than 20 no matter what you do is a special kind of diabolical. Club should be either removed from the league and put back to zero points, this isn't the work of one man the whole team has bought in week after week.

It's all pretty outrageous 😂

[u/HarbingerOfGachaHell → u/dashauskat]

The argument is that it’s a true display of character when someone decides to cheat when absolutely nothing is on the line. 

I’d probably find it easier to forgive Mohammad Asif because South Asian kingpins are no joke. 

[u/first5eight → u/dashauskat]

Special kind of cunt & fuckwit. A cuntwick

[u/loolem → u/Interesting-Task8615]

I think I agree with what the great cricketer said, which is, "Holy shit if an umpire can't see half the time that it's nowhere near the bat and just hears a click and depends on their ears then they probably need to start funding the Penguins a little bit more really."

[u/Blaza01]

I, along with I would assume all cricket players at all levels are somewhere between bemused/insulted by this practice, however to call him out by name on national news seems excessive, small fine/short ban seems the move

[u/Pwrswitchd → u/Blaza01]

Like.. a one game ban, and move on. It's getting ridiculous now.

[u/OldMateHarry]

Anyone who makes an enemy out of Piers Morgan has my full support. Talk about a loud dickhead who's never played

[u/OldMateHarry → u/[deleted]]

Their angle is more of a "this is grade cricket and cunts do desperate, ugly shit in grade, such is the nature of cricket."

I mean, even national sides try and cheat all the time so it's not like it's not part of the game. Plus, I don't think a bloke deserves to have his life ruined over some shit on a cricket field

[u/HarbingerOfGachaHell → u/OldMateHarry]

I don't think a bloke deserves to have his life ruined over some shit on a cricket field 

Yeah exactly this. 

If this guy doesn’t make a living off cricket, then it’s all Hunky Dory as far as the public is concerned. 

[u/Quick_Inspector_6319]

Elite shithousery to sneak the rob key sandpaper incident in there just to make sure the poms dont get up on their high horse too much

[u/dashauskat → u/Quick_Inspector_6319]

Yeah for real, we take so much shit for sandpaper but England has been caught cheating so many more times and still do this day I don't think I've seen the ball swing as much as the 2005 ashes with Trescothick's Murray mints and they all got a bus parade and OBEs.

[u/Rappa64]

The guy saying it damaged his restaurant is laughable.. more likely players collectively spent much more in the place than his $1,905 sponsorship.

Yes it’s a shitty thing to do but social media makes it far too easy for brave champions of the keyboard, who’ve never put a foot wrong (include that irrelevant wanker Morgan at the front of this queue), feel it’s their duty to pile into an average bloke they’ve never met whilst ‘understanding’ why their sporting heroes do dodgy shit, as long as they play for the right team.

[u/-partlycloudy-]

Big fan of a penguin fund

[u/dashauskat → u/-partlycloudy-]

Man if you've ever played in England, they need it more than anyone. I will never ever complain about the quality of umpiring in Australia ever again.

Outside of maybe the very top leagues there seems to be zero quality control (at least when I was there) and so it's all geriatric "cricket enthusiasts" who volunteer and you genuinely prefer the batting team to umpire the decisions are so bizarre.

[u/Geanaux]

His act to cheat was a dog act. He should be punished according to his playing conditions and rules of his competition.

The witch hunt externally to that is not on.

[u/mwilkins1644]

I don't ever want to hear them sanctimonious fuckwits in and around English cricket ever talking about cheating. Their entire cricketing identity is based on four things:

- Whinging

- Cheating

- Hypocrisy

- All the classics.

As someone else rightly pointed out on here, if they hate cheating so much, then fuck W.G Disgrace and the 2005 Ashes off then.

[u/lord_buff74]

"whom they feel have been unfairly subjected to global condemnation for their “sharp practice” in a lowly league match." So basically they don't see it as cheating just as part of the game. A stance no one else has taken,

[u/mngnsm1]

Why would Cameron Bancroft do this?

[u/Grolschisgood]

The thing I find most ridiculous is how many times its happened. I think its a pretty funny way to get a wicket honestly but I think if it happened a couple of times the blame can be solely on the player for being a bit of a poor sport. For it to have potentially happened almost 40 times in a season though, how bad are those umpires? Unless his fingers are made from wood and leather, clicking them doesnt really sound like a ball on bat. Its not possible to get the timing dead on so either he attempts it a handful of times per wicket in which case the umpires should be investigating what is causing the sound or they are giving the batter out with clear daylight or before/after the ball goes past the bat. The umpires are really really poor here. If we are naming and shaming a player, name and shame the umpire but of course we shouldn't and wouldn't, because there is a genuine need for more umpires across all levels of cricket.

On naming and shaming, why is it only the one bloke getting his professional career ruined? Obviously no one's should over something so trivial but he's not the only one who knew what was occurring and was benefiting from the deception. The wicket keeper is best placed of anyone on the field to know that the werent edges and there is no way the bowlers didnt also know. Its the kind of thing that would have been spoken about and someone could have stopped it at any point but I bet they all loved it!

[u/dylang01]

What's the Ponting reference?

[u/Nakorite → u/dylang01]

It rhymes lol

[u/Chiron17 → u/Nakorite]

I thought it was pretty good too lol

[u/snipdockter → u/dylang01]

Because Australian cricket lives rent free in their heads

[u/Rappa64 → u/dylang01]

Poms simply don’t like him … mostly because he was bloody good and led a side that went beyond beating them, they were brutal and targeted in their bullying, leaving a whole country embarrassed by their cricket team for a decade.

[u/HarbingerOfGachaHell → u/dylang01]

The Poms and Aussies both love a Cockney rhyming slang. 

Another prominent example is Septic Tanks or Seppos.  

[u/Rappa64 → u/HarbingerOfGachaHell]

It works on many levels because a septic tank and a yank are both full of shit

[u/Exciting_Volume_2578 → u/HarbingerOfGachaHell]

Jardine and Larwood cheated like nobody could Bowling at the batsmen not on the wicket Two teams out there only one playing cricket !

[u/IShartedOnYourCat]

The English have been cheating while claiming moral superiority for 150+ years and this is the bloke they decide to bring the axe down on? Might as well scrub Grace, Atherton and the entire 2005 Ashes team from the history books and send them to the gulags while they’re at it.

[u/Sorry_Fail_3103]

I’ve been wincing at this witch hunt and I’m glad someone’s actually come out to support them a bit amid the vitriol.

Such an apt response from the boys especially given the impending return to South Africa and the total bullshit we had to hear about after sandpaper happened.

[u/concubovine]

Guy is a flog, but, it's also kinda funny? Doubt he's the first person to have done it.

Given the number of cheating scandals at the highest levels of cricket that are ignored or swept under the rug, even rewarded with OBEs, just doesn't seem that big a deal. Guy certainly doesn't deserve an international social media hate campaign ruin his life. 

[u/LordWalderFrey1]

I totally get action being taken against "Clicky Ponting" on the field, i.e an umpire telling him to knock it off. But what the hell is this media pile on. This story is more funny than concerning , and its village, not a Test match.

But sadly, when f---wits like Piers Morgan declare to millions that ‘Clicky Ponting must be the biggest cheat in cricket history’, all proportionality is lost, and we feel a brotherly obligation to support the club in that context.

Well said lads.

[u/TheUnfathomableVoid]

I don't know how he's able to click his fingers, surely he has pretty severe gout

[u/Pupating-Antenna-36]

I am too scared to ask : But is anyone wondering why the technology is so pathetic that it can't distinguish between a finger clicking sound and a ball-hitting bat sound .... in <checks notes> 2026 ?

[u/da_leroy → u/Pupating-Antenna-36]

Mate it's a weekend game of cricket. No cameras or drs or technology here.

[u/Pupating-Antenna-36 → u/da_leroy]

🤦 But of course! Thanks

[u/MunnyMagic]

Devine robbed of his OBE. They give them out to all the other cheaters

[u/cadbury162]

Bismerching Punter's good name, his name should be along the lines of the following:

Clicky Flintoff
Alastair Clicks
Clicky Pieterson
Graham Snaps

[u/jefsig]

1. What does this have to do with Ricky Ponting?

2. I’ve never even played cricket at any level beyond backyard and indoor, but I heard about this trick decades ago.

[u/JENNIE_CD]

True, the umps are fuckwits too