Twenty20 match between Sunshine Heights and Strathmore called off midway after team forgets to bring ball
A suburban Twenty20 cricket match ended in bizarre circumstances last night, when a team was made to forfeit...because they forgot to bring a ball.
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A suburban Twenty20 cricket match ended in bizarre circumstances last night when a team was made to forfeit after forgetting to bring a ball.
The Victorian Turf Cricket Association quarter-final was abandoned after 20 overs and awarded to Strathmore when Sunshine Heights realised it did not have a new ball to bowl with.
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Umpires determined Strathmore was therefore the winner, however the outcome is under investigation by a VTCA subcommittee after Sunshine Heights filed a protest.
“There was a bit of a debacle in the end,” Sunshine Heights president Nick Hatzoglou said.
“We batted first, made 167, then we didn’t have our new ball.
“They weren’t willing to play with an older ball, so a few phone calls were made.
“We were a bit disappointed they weren’t showing any desire to play.
“There was nowhere else for us to go except to forfeit the game.”
Hatzoglou said Sunshine Heights had protested the result to set a precedent and avoid similar issues in future games.
“We’re a Division 3 side and we were really looking forward to testing ourselves against Strathmore,” he said.
“These games are good for the players because they can test themselves against better opposition.
“This year we’ve taken the T20 matches more seriously and it was just really disappointing.”
Strathmore president Allison Dodd was reluctant to comment due to the investigation being underway.
“I don’t know if I’m in a position to talk too much about it,” she said.
“It’s been referred back to the VTCA.”
VTCA president Steve McNamara said the subcommittee ruling on the outcome was in a “tricky position” as there was no precedent for the controversial finish.
“Unfortunately, they went to bowl and they didn’t have a ball,” he said.
“The suggestion was to use a (five-or-six over old ball) and play under protest which (Strathmore) didn’t want to do.
“So the umpires, on the spot, awarded the game to Strathmore. Subsequently, Sunshine Heights have protested.”
McNamara said VTCA rules required clubs to have spare balls available, but it was also incumbent on both teams to bring new balls to each match.
“It is pretty bizarre,” he said.
“It’s an unfortunate incident, but you would have thought commonsense might have prevailed.”
Sunshine Heights posted 4-167 in the first innings before the match was abandoned.
The appeal will decide whether Strathmore progresses to the Twenty20 semi-finals, which are due to be played in February.
Should the match be awarded to Sunshine Heights, it is likely Doutta Stars — the third team in the quarter-final group — would qualify.
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