The Hawke's Bay Cricket Association has engaged an independent commissioner to investigate allegations of racist, sexist and homophobic abuse during a schoolboys cricket match in Hastings last week.
1 NEWS understands the match was abandoned following an incident which New Zealand Cricket said involved “racial vilification and homophobic and sexist slurs”.
It’s alleged to have occurred during last Thursday’s game between Napier Tech Old Boys and a Western Districts School Children’s Cricket Association (WDSCA) team visiting from Auckland, which was made up of players of Indian, Sri Lankan and Pakistani heritage.
The boys were all aged between 16 to 18 years old.
The match was abandoned with a ball to play in the first innings after an umpire ruled a Napier player had racially abused an opposition batter.
An emergency meeting was held last night to address the matter where 1 NEWS can confirm HBCA agreed to bring in an independent commissioner to resolve the dispute.
The commissioner’s appointment comes after Hawke's Bay Cricket Association's CEO Craig Findlay initially told Hawke’s Bay Today the match ended because of a “misunderstanding”.
"HB Cricket are aware of what happened and are dealing with it accordingly and at this stage aren't in a position to comment,'' Findlay said at the time.
NZC chief executive David White told 1 NEWS today he was appalled by the allegations.
“We’re very concerned – there’s no place for racism in our community let alone in cricket,” White said.
“We await the outcome of that investigation with interest.”
Racism has been an issue for New Zealand Cricket in recent years after a 28-year-old Auckland man racially abused England bowler Jofra Archer during a 2019 match against the Black Caps in Mount Maunganui.
NZC did not reveal the identity of the spectator but issued a two-year ban from all cricket matches against him.
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