Racist abuse is just not cricket

The entire Ka¯piti Old Boys team walked off the pitch in the middle of a match this weekend after one of their members was racially abused.

The senior club cricket side, from Paraparaumu, north of Wellington, left the field during Levin Old Boys’ innings on Sunday after one of the Levin batsmen used a racial slur against an Indian fielder in the Ka¯piti team.

The Levin club has confirmed the incident, which happened in only the second over of the innings, when the fielder was chasing a ball hit by the batsman.

The fielder did not signal when it went over the boundary for four, leaving the batsmen to run for longer than he needed to. The batsman then swore and used the racial slur, Levin club secretary Daniel Parker said. ‘‘He’s realised he shouldn’t have said it. Everyone in our team has cringed at it as well.’’

Parker said the batsman apologised directly to the fielder, and play continued. But about eight overs later, the Ka¯piti team gathered and made a decision to quit the game, which had been umpired by players.

Parker said the batsman, whom he would not name, sat down with senior players after the match, at Donnelly Park in Levin. ‘‘We all agreed there’s no place for that. He’s fully aware he shouldn’t have said it ...

‘‘He’s said something in the heat of the moment and instantly regretted it.’’

The player would not be selected to play for ‘‘two or three weeks’’ as a result of the incident, Parker said.

Ka¯piti Old Boys president and player Hayden Wright said the HorowhenuaKa¯piti Cricket Association would deal with the incident internally, and the team would not comment.

Ka¯piti supporter Maurice Rose, who attended the match with his wife, stood by the team’s decision to leave the pitch: ‘‘It’s nearly 2018 and we’re still getting that rubbish on the field, especially in a premier game.’’

Association chief executive David O’Brien said it would talk to the clubs involved ‘‘and go through our normal due process’’.

‘‘At this point in time, we are aware of an incident but we haven’t got the details of it yet.’’

The association’s board directors would deal with any disciplinary action if it took place. He said racial abuse was ‘‘not what cricket was about’’.

Ka¯piti Mayor K Gurunathan, who has Indian and Sri Lankan heritage, said the racial abuse was ‘‘really disappointing’’.

‘‘Come on. Cricket, of all games? ... Cricket has got a very high culture ... I’m utterly disappointed that it’s happened here in our patch.’’

He said the decision by Ka¯piti Old Boys to walk off was ‘‘highly commendable’’.