In a Yorkshire Premier League North match on July 8, York fielder Breidyn Schaper had run out Sessay batter Diego Rosier controversially, leading to strong reactions from the those who watched the match or the clip of the dismissal doing the rounds on social media.

Rosier had walked out of his crease to congratulate his partner Tim Hall after the latter had reached fifty. He had grounded the bat inside his crease, assuming that the ball was dead.

However, Schaper, who had backed up the throw coming from long-on, held on to the ball and threw it to the wicketkeeper as soon as Rosier walked out of his crease, running him out in the process.

Error 404 spirit of the game not found? 🤦‍♂️ looks like he’s going to congratulate him on 50? Changes his mind then they run him out. Drama pic.twitter.com/5QQbxjHuqa

— The Fat Cricketer🏏 (@DatFatCricketer) July 8, 2023

Coming with the backdrop of Bairstow’s stumping at Lord’s that caused a massive furore, this run out evoked similar reactions with people questioning whether it was keeping with the ‘Spirit of Cricket’.

York chairperson Dr Nigel Durham has now issued a statement of apology on behalf of the club, stating that the act was against the ‘spirit of the game’, and that they have learnt from the incident and will ensure there is no repetition.

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Their statement says: “Over the last 72 hours, the club has enacted some serious soul searching, following the deeply regrettable incident that took place when York 1st XI played at Sessay Cricket Club on the afternoon of Saturday 8th July.

“First and foremost we reiterate the apology we gave after the match, without reservation, to Sessay Cricket Club, its players, officials, and supporters. They have handled the situation with exceptional grace and virtue.”

The club further mentioned that it was an error in judgement on their part and that ‘the game should be protected from moments like this’: “In all walks of life mistakes are made, and this was definitely one, for which we apologise. York Cricket Club has a long history of playing hard, competitive cricket to win, but not at all costs. The dismissal of Diego Rosier wasn’t cricket or within the ‘spirit of cricket’.

“The captain, the whole team, and club, are mortified by the error in judgement that was made. They will learn from it and it will never happen again. We will move on from Saturday with a better understanding of the game we all love and why it must be protected from moments like this, and always played within the right spirit.”

The club re-emphasised their apology and said that they’d like to make amends for the incident in the near future.

York CC Statement pic.twitter.com/wzgAdhnFQ9

— York CC (@York_C_C) July 10, 2023