Umpire kicked in the head in act of ‘thuggery’

A club cricketer repeatedly kicked an opposition playerumpire in the head on the ground, before being pulled away by team-mates, a witness at the Paraparaumu match says.

The match between Horowhenua-Kapiti clubs Paraparaumu and Weraroa on Sunday was marred by the incident, understood to have been sparked by a decision from a Paraparaumu player-umpire.

The fielding team, Weraroa, took umbrage and an argument ensued, which saw police called after it escalated.

A witness to the attack said it was ‘‘absolute thuggery’’ and he heard at least two kicks connect with the victim who had been knocked to the ground by a ‘‘sucker punch’’ from another player.

‘‘He had a third kick at him before his team pulled him off.’’

The witness, who did not want to be named, said while tempers could erupt during sport matches, kicking ‘‘somebody lying in a foetal position on the ground was out of control.

‘‘If that happened on the street it would be GBH [grievous bodily harm] so how come if it happens on the field it’s fine?’’

The witness added: ‘‘I know exactly who did the kicking, everyone saw who it was.’’

Another witness who did not want to be named labelled the Weraroa players’ behaviour ‘‘disgusting’’ towards the young player-umpire.

At the end of the over he was followed to square leg and taunted before being ‘‘set upon’’ and struck in the face.

‘‘I believe his nose is broken then another three or four Levin [Weraroa] players joined in and proceeded to kick and punch him’’.

A police spokesperson confirmed they went to the Paraparaumu Cricket Club, on the Ka¯ piti Coast, about 3.45pm on Sunday.

‘‘A person reported that they were kicked in the face after an argument with the other team.’’

No-one was arrested and no charges had been laid, police said.

New Zealand Cricket public affairs manager Richard Boock said the Horowhenua-Kapiti Cricket Association had advised NZC of an investigation into this matter.

‘‘While we are still awaiting details, NZC views any type of physical assault in cricket as repugnant and utterly unacceptable. We will await the results of the investigation before commenting further," Boock said in a statement to Stuff.

Weraroa club captain Brett Cole said there would be a meeting on Monday night about the incident and the club would be getting legal advice.

He wasn’t there during the alleged incident and NZ Cricket rules meant he wasn’t able to comment further, he said.

Paraparaumu club captain Craig Pashby said he wasn’t at the game and referred all questions to Horowhenua-Kapiti Cricket Association chief executive David O’Brien.

O’Brien said the association was aware of ‘‘an incident’’ and its operational team began an investigation immediately.

The association was awaiting its outcome, he said.