A pair of popular Aussie cricket podcasters have offered to help ‘Clicky Ponting’, after further developments in the English club cricket cheating scandal which saw the chief culprit named, passionately defended by his mother-in-law, and a sponsor pulling the plug.
The cricket world was up in arms earlier this week as footage emerged on social media of a slip fielder for Saltburn Cricket Club’s second XI clicking his fingers to con ageing umpires into giving batters out caught behind on several occasions.
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The original clip has more than seven million views on X.
The cricketer, who plays in the North Yorkshire and South Durham League, has been nicknamed ‘Clicky Ponting’ in a parody of former Australian captain Ricky Ponting by outraged cricket fans online.
His real identity has been revealed by several English media outlets, who reported Brian Devine is the man who has caused the integrity storm.
But The Grade Cricketer has offered to help Devine in finding legal representation, financially support the club if they lose sponsorship, and support the league in a “penguin fund” to back and train umpires.
It came after the likes of Piers Morgan declared Devine was “the biggest cheat in cricket history”.
“TGC aims to find humanity in the absurdity of cricket, for everyone who never made it,” the podcasters said in a statement.
“For over a decade we have celebrated and benefitted from the low-rent charm of club cricket’s rich, dark underbelly, alongside hundreds of thousands of people around the world.
“Of course, it would appear some members at Saltburn CC have engaged in comically sharp practice. But sadly, when f—wits like Piers Morgan declare to millions that ‘Clicky Ponting must be the biggest cheat in cricket history’, all proportionality is lost, and we feel a brotherly obligation to support the club in that context.
“Practically speaking, we have also emailed the North Yorkshire and South Durham Cricket League to propose the creation of a “Penguin Fund” to assist in the recruitment and development of umpires.
“Finally, ahead of Australia’s timely return to Cape Town, we refer all media to this article from 2007.”
The article is about current England cricket boss Rob Key admitting to using sandpaper on a ball during a 2007 match.
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Devine is a company secretary for a livestock auction house and estate agents in England’s north.
The 38-year-old is also a father and has been a long-time club cricketer, having also played in the Bradford Premier League for Pudsey St Lawrence CC.
In 24 years of senior cricket, he has played 481 matches and was previously described as a club “legend” on Saltburn’s social media pages.
Devine is set to be sidelined from his Saturday pasttime, however, with a ban likely as the league investigates the matter.
“The League have received a formal complaint regarding alleged incidents in a Division Two game on Saturday. A full investigation has been initiated and until such time as the formal processes are complete no further comment will be made,” a statement provided to The Telegraph read.
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The backlash has been over the top according to Devine’s mother-in-law, Georgina Vaughan, who said he was a “man of integrity”.
“It was only a little village cricket match and now it’s become this thing that’s all over the news and social media,” she told The Daily Mail.
“It has got totally out of hand and there is nothing that any of us want to say.”
The Daily Mail also tracked down the owner of the Indian restaurant, Spices, who pays £1,000 per season to sponsor Devine.
Spices also offer Devine a discount on their meals.
“It’s not the biggest sponsorship deal in sport but that’s not the point. I’m a huge cricket fan and what’s happened is very bad. It’s not in the spirit of this gentleman’s game,” Akmol Hussain said.
“It’s not what I expect from Brian, or the club and I want nothing to do with them from now. I love cricket and even used to play for fun but I’m too old now.
“I’m very shocked and disgusted by this video and can’t believe that Brian would do something like this. I’ve met him many times, but he has damaged the reputation of cricket and my restaurant.”
The situation became more damning for Devine as outraged cricket fans dug deeper into scorecards and footage from games in recent seasons to find that his finger clicking has been endemic.
Local electrician Josh Bowes’ numbers are staggering behind the stumps when Devine is stood alongside him at slip or nearby at short cover.
“Past scorecards reveal that when Devine plays, Saltburn’s wicketkeeper takes more catches. In 13 matches across 2026 with Devine in the side, Saltburn’s keeper has taken 39 catches. In seven matches without Devine, the wicketkeeper has taken five,” The Telegraph’s Will McPherson and Ben Rumsby revealed.
“The scorecard from the previous weekend’s match against Shildon Railway CC shows that Saltburn seconds’ wicketkeeper took eight catches, and he appears to be averaging almost four per match in his eight games this season.”
Former England fast bowler Steve Harmison was outraged on radio station TalkSport when speaking about the scandal with renowned cricket writer Neil Manthorp.
“There are people that have worked Monday to Friday and all they want to do is spoil somebody’s afternoon,” Harmison said.
“That’s not the game we love. They should not be playing the game. A bit like diving in football. That should be outlawed.”
“A bloke standing there at slip, making a clicking noise on a Saturday afternoon after somebody else has done 40 hours in the week, all they want to do is play the game of cricket, and he does that to people, that’s just not a very nice person.”
Harmison added: “All of a sudden you can see a riot happening because somebody’s decided to cheat the game.
“I don’t mind people nicking it and not walking. The umpire’s there to make a decision.
“But for somebody to go out of their way to do it like that is so out of order. It is ridiculous.”
Manthorp replied: “It’s second XI cricket. I completely agree with you. Don’t let him play. Just ban him!”
Saltburn CC and Devine have both declined media requests for comment.
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