Tom Reeves reports on the disqualification of two sides from a local cricket cup competition.
Wanstead and Ilford have both been disqualified from the Dukes Essex Cricket League Cup competition after they both fielded ineligible players in the final.
As a result, there will be no champion of the League Cup for the 2014 season with no third place play-off game played.
“The SNEL Executive Committee have recently been made aware that both sides in the Dukes League Cup Final, Wanstead and Ilford, fielded ineligible players and in doing so infringed Regulations 4 and 5 of the Dukes Essex League Cup,” a Shepherd Neame Essex League statement from chairman Andrew Kennedy read.
“It should be stressed that both clubs did not infringe these regulations knowingly, there was no intention to gain an advantage, and they are both essentially administrative errors. But nonetheless they have breached the regulations which are there for a good reason.
“This was discussed at our recent Executive Committee meeting and the unanimous decision was that both clubs are removed from the Dukes Essex League Cup competition for the 2014 season. Therefore this year’s League Cup Final be declared void and that there is no champion for 2014.”
Kennedy concluded: “This has come as very disappointing news to both the league committee and the sponsor. However we felt as a committee we had to protect the integrity of the competition by applying the regulations as written.”
The match had been played at Wanstead’s ground, where the hosts ran out eight-wicket victors in what was to be captain Arfan Akram’s final match in charge.
Skipper Akram ended his decade at the helm with his team bowling out the visitors for 131, before they chased down the total set with ease.
Essex youngster Kishen Velani smashed 61 from 45 balls, while John Chambers saw the side home with a score of 42 not out; though the efforts of both respective outfits in the final played on Sunday 7th September have been deemed meaningless by their disqualification from the Cup.