OLD FEUD REKINDLED

Heated words reignite row between Warner and Hughes family

CANDICE Warner is adamant her star husband was the subject of “abuse” from Phillip Hughes’ brother as two years of simmering tensions from sport’s saddest and ugliest feud resurfaces.

David Warner walked from the field midway through his innings in a Sydney club cricket match following a verbal altercation with Jason Hughes.

The incident has sparked a war of words with Western Suburbs cricket club releasing a statement yesterday denying Hughes referenced his late brother in the heated exchange with Warner, who was batting for Randwick-Petersham on Saturday.

Speaking on Channel 9’s Sports Sunday, Candice Warner refused to go into detail about the exchange, but confirmed Jason Hughes’ involvement, and declared that the comments which prompted David Warner to walk from the field were abusive and had gone “too far”.

The wider context of Hughes clashing with Warner on a cricket field dates back two years to the inquest into Phillip Hughes’ tragic death, where the family’s resentment towards players, including Warner, was laid bare over what had happened to their son.

Players who took the stand at the inquest like Warner, Doug Bollinger and Hughes’ batting partner Tom Cooper, all presented a united front that sledging and short-pitched bowling plans had not taken place in the match where the former Australian opener was fatefully struck.

Since the inquest, it’s understood Jason Hughes had not been face-to-face with Warner until Saturday’s grade clash.

Candice Warner said on Nine that the incident which prompted her husband to momentarily leave the field was unacceptable on the part of Jason Hughes. “There is a difference between sledging and abuse. I won’t get into what was said but yesterday went too far,” she said.

Hours later, Western Suburbs Cricket Club hit back hard in defence of Jason Hughes. “There was no barrage of sledges aimed at David Warner by any WSDCC player,” said president Michael Swan.