Video courtesy of: bernewsdotcom
Bermuda wicketkeeper-batsman Jason Anderson has been banned for life after he was involved in a horrific brawl during the country’s Champion of Champions final 10 days ago.
Anderson, who has represented Bermuda in five List A games and nine Twenty20s, was wicketkeeping for Cleveland County Cricket Club when he got into an argument with Willow Cuts Cricket Club batsman George O’Brien.
However, things got way out of hand when both players started to get involved in a scuffle, during which O’Brien swung his bat in Anderson’s direction. Things escalated to a whole new level from that point as Anderson attempted to kick O’Brien in the head, although it seems that he ended up striking his own team-mate Aaron Adams, who was trying to play the role of peacekeeper.
In the end, it took players, officials and members of the Bermuda Police service to bring the situation under control. The match resumed after the ugly incident and Cleveland County won the game by 72 runs.
Following the incident, Anderson was banned from representing Cleveland County Cricket Club for life by club president Carlton Smith.
“Cleveland County Cricket Club would like to announce that as a result of the incident at the recent Champion of Champions final, Mr Jason Anderson is hereby banned from representing the club in all sporting activities for life,” Smith said. “We urge Mr Anderson to seek assistance for his anger issues and the club is willing to help him with these efforts, if he is willing.”
Cleveland County skipper Allan Douglas was unable to pinpoint what triggered the brawl, and told The Royal Gazette: “I think a little bit of frustration built up by Jason, dropping a catch and missing a stumping, but I don’t know what was said between George and Jason because I was at the other end of the wicket.
“I’m the captain and everything falls back on me. I’m just off a suspension for the same thing, but I’m hoping they’ll be lenient on me in this particular incident because they saw me try to stop it.”
However, Cleveland County coach Clay Smith was much more critical of the incident and branded it as a “new low” for Bermuda cricket.
“Having watched cricket week in and week out in Bermuda it doesn’t surprise me that we are constantly having on-field issues,” he wrote in a column for the The Royal Gazette. “Our standards of discipline have slipped tremendously, and what is deemed acceptable on the field of play is completely unacceptable. Too few players are being written up for what some may deem minor infractions.
“There is a solution to this madness, it just requires the Bermuda Cricket Board to implement the code of conduct that players are expected to play under at the ICC international level.”
After reviewing the footage, the Bermuda Cricket Board had no hesitation in finding Anderson guilty of a Level 4 Code of Conduct breach and subsequently handed him “a life ban from all cricket, and any involvement in the game of cricket in Bermuda in any capacity”.
“We condemn this act without reservation and support the Bermuda Police Service, the Bermuda Cricket Board of Control as well as the Willow Cuts and Cleveland County Clubs as they seek to end this irrational behavior on our sporting grounds and community,” a statement from the board said.
Meanwhile, O’Brien was found guilty of a Level 3 breach and will miss “six Logic 50 over matches” next season.