CLL: Oldham fight their corner

OLDHAM’S rift with the CLL’s Management Committee shows no signs of healing.

Indeed, relations between the CLL’s governing body and the Pollards club are decidedly frosty after a series of conflicts over league decisions and actions.

Oldham are incensed that a £50 fine issued against them for failing to notify the league that they were fielding a deputy professional is to stand, even though they claim there is nothing in the rules to say they had to do so.

Oldham have been notified by the league that the deadline for payment has passed and they may face a further fine of £25.

The original penalty relates to the opening fixture of the season in which both Oldham and Monton and Weaste fielded stand-in professionals as their contracted paid men had not arrived in England.

Both clubs were fined for failing to notify the league of their replacements and, having appealed against the Management Committee’s decisions, neither club paid up.

Also rumbling is the row over June’s Werneth v Oldham league clash in which the match umpires admitted that five penalty runs added to the Werneth total were not authorised.

The Coppice club went on to win the game, but Oldham appealed against the result.

The Management Committee decided to uphold the result, quoting an MCC rule which states that once a match has finished and the umpires are satisfied with the scores, the result must stand.

However, Oldham claim in another letter to the league that the umpires concerned wrote on the back of the match scoresheet that they were aware of the penalty-runs error and were not satisfied.

This, Oldham believe, compromised the outcome of the match and means that both sides should be awarded two points for a drawn game.

Further disagreement between the club and the CLL centres on two Oldham Evening Chronicle articles quoting Oldham players.

Skipper Mel Whittle, asked a direct question by the Chronicle, believed an umpire’s decision to give professional Chinthaka Jayasinghe out leg before wicket in the match against Heywood at the Pollards was “horrendous”.

And Stuart Moore, explaining his reasons for taking a mid-season break from cricket, said poor umpiring decisions and Management Committee verdicts against Oldham had been major factors.

The two articles were viewed by the CLL and Oldham – in a letter from the league – were asked to explain their stance as, in the Management Committee’s view, the comments of both players brought the league into disrepute.

Oldham delegate Alan Inkpen defended both players at this month’s CLL meeting and has since written to the league in detail.

His defence of the two players includes the issue of freedom of speech and states that officials must, occasionally, face and accept criticism without taking action against those concerned.