Lifetime league ban for player

CRICKET: Hollinwood’s Mubashir Khan has been banned for life after allegedly being involved in an incident at Stayley in which a spectator was knocked to the floor.

The second XI match was abandoned by the umpire after the incident, and now the Saddleworth and District Cricket League has taken the strongest possible action against the player.

League officials hope the penalty will act as a deterrent to others.

A league spokesman said: “The league won’t stand for this type of behaviour. It doesn’t matter whether there was provocation; no one can expect to get away with such actions.”

The Chronicle understands second team captain, Mujahid Khan, has been given a four-game ban for failing to control his players. The club has been fined £100.

Hollinwood has also been stripped of all points from the match, while Stayley will receive the average number of winning points in Division Two on that day.

In a separate incident, Hollinwood’s Kashif Khan has been suspended for two matches for confronting Glodwick captain Nigel Stock in a first team fixture.

The league has also acted against Micklehurst’s second-team skipper, Kieran Heaton. Already banned by his own club for six games for spitting, another four games have been added by the league. Heaton has also had another six matches suspended until the end of season 2015.

All four can appeal.