Two Blues cop 2-year ban

Newtown & Chilwell accepts penalty for grand final wicket decision

NEWTOWN & Chilwell Cricket Club has been whacked for the GCA1 grand final pitch fiasco and banned from hosting finals for the next two years.

The Two Blues also copped a $500 fine for failing to cover the wicket table at Stinton Oval, despite forecast rain that flooded the ground and forced play to be abandoned on day one.

GCA president Barry McFarlane said the penalty imposed by the investigative panel was harsh but fair.

Newtown has also copped the finals ban on the chin.

“We accepted responsibility on the day, and still do, and will work with the GCA to ensure standard and clearly defined practices are in place in the future,” a club statement said.

“The NCCC has co-operated fully with this investigation since day one of the grand final. This level of co-operation with the GCA sets a high standard for open dialogue and honesty that will allow the governing body to more thoroughly investigate and resolve the future contentious issues that cricket in our region will face.

“The club will not be making any further public comment on the matter.”

The GCA1 grand final, won by East Belmont under darkening skies in the dying minutes, was shrouded in controversy when Two Blues curator Graeme Taylor opted not to cover the wicket table on the eve of the game.

With heavy rain predicted, the square was subsequently flooded overnight and on the morning of the game, forcing the players to use blowers in a desperate attempt to dry the turf.

Taylor admitted he made an “error in judgment” by not covering the square and said he should have accepted an offer by the Lions pre-match to use a larger cover.

But McFarlane stressed the finger should not be pointed squarely at Taylor.

“The club received an email saying that every effort should be made to cover the square, but whether the club informed the curator, I’m not sure,” he said.

“It just wasn’t done anyhow, so the curator was left to make a decision and he only put a small cover on the wicket, when they were offered bigger covers and everything.

“It was just a lack of communication by the club to ensure they did everything they could to make the square dry.

“There would have been no qualms if the club had done everything to cover the square. If it still got wet, you can’t do much about that, but the lack of covers didn’t help the situation.

“It’s just very fortunate from my point of view that East Belmont was able to get a result in one day, otherwise it could have been a lot nastier than what it was.”

McFarlane believed the penalty was suffice.

“It’s a heavy penalty,” he said.

“I think most of us regard Queens Park as the best venue, but we’re not going to hand out finals to clubs who can’t guarantee they will do everything they possibly can to ensure the game takes place.

“That’s just a fact of life, so they had to cop a penalty, and accept the findings.

“We had to make it clear to everybody that it just wasn’t acceptable.”