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ECB & MCC reveal new initiative
The England Cricket Board (ECB)
and the Marylebone Cricket Club
have announced a new joint initiative
– ‘Play Hard, Play Fair and Stay in the
Game’ aimed at improving standards of
behaviour in junior cricket.
The initiative, which is also supported by
the Professional Cricketers’ Association,
the England Schools Cricket Association
and the HMC Schools, has been devised
to help educate youngsters about the
challenges they may face as players
or as captains and promote a wider
acceptance and understanding of the
‘Spirit of Cricket’.
Drawn up in close consultation with
age-group players, coaches and
managers, the project invited all children
participating in Under 15 cricket this
year to take part in an online quiz
based around ten different cricketing
scenarios and include an opportunity
to win tickets to an npower Test Match.
ECB head of non-first class cricket Paul
Bedford said: ‘As well as learning that
cricket is a fun and enjoyable sport, we
want all young cricketers in whatever
competitive situation they are in to
understand that they have a crucial role
to play in upholding the game’s historic
reputation for fair play’.
‘There is no place for bad behaviour in
cricket and this initiative is designed to
help teach the next generation of players
about the importance of showing respect
to your opponents, match officials,
coaches, scorers and spectators’.
The initiative will be accompanied by the
implementation of a new code of conduct
for junior cricketers which was circulated
to all junior clubs and match officials in
England at the start of the season.
Boy dies after goalposts fall on him
A 12-year-old boy has died after being hit
by falling goalposts while playing football
in Powys, Wales.
Dyfed-Powys Police said Casey Breese
was playing with local boys in a recreation
ground at Caersws. The incident occurred
in July.
A spokesman said the goalposts were
being examined after the “sad death”
of Casey and there were no suspicious
circumstances.
He was pronounced dead after being
flown to hospital in Shrewsbury.
A police spokesman said it is understood
that a group of local boys were playing
football on the recreation area when the
goalposts fell to the ground.
Casey was treated at the scene by
ambulance staff before being taken by
air ambulance to the Royal Shrewsbury
hospital, where he was pronounced dead
shortly after his arrival.
“The goalposts have been taken away
by the police, who have also spoken with
the other children and some adults who
were in the area at the time,” said the
spokesman.
Floral tributes and a football top were
placed at the ground, while tributes were
also left to Casey on Facebook and
Twitter.
ANZ Stadium to conduct review
after stakes found on surface
It was reported that Sydney’s biggest
sporting facility, ANZ Stadium, was
investigating how three metal stakes
were found on the ground during a Aussie
Rules football game. Sydney Swans co-
captain Jarrad McVeigh is reported to
have found the objects during their game
against Collingwood in June.
McVeigh stepped on a U-shaped stake
when he was in the forward line in the
first quarter and, later in the half, found
two others lying on the turf in different
locations.
ANZ Stadium officials said they were
working with the Swans to investigate
“how such an incident might have
occurred”.
“There are a number of pins used when
attaching grow mats to the playing
surface,” the stadium’s general manager
of assets and technical services, Simon
Davies, said.
“The mats promote grass growth in
preparation for an event. All pins are
removed prior to any field activity and
stringent procedures are undertaken in
the lead-up to any event to ensure the
entire playing surface is free of objects
and ready for play.”
“If it is the case that one or two pins have
remained in the turf despite these checks,
we would be surprised and disappointed.
If investigations show that this occurred,
we will thoroughly review our procedures.”
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