Brian Devine banned for two years over Clickgate cheating scandal
Amateur cricketer Brian Devine has been banned for two years from all cricket in England and Wales for clicking his fingers to trick an umpire, and Saltburn's second XI has also been punished.
How it was covered
- BBC One was the only channel found covering it, concentrating on the two-year ban and Saltburn's team-wide punishment for a viral finger click.
- Channel 5, BBC Two, Channel 4, GB News and ITV: not found in tracked broadcasts.
- BBC News and Sky News: covered online, not found on air.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story. Facts only one channel reported are attributed to it.
Brian Devine, an amateur cricketer with Saltburn's second 11, has been banned for two years from all cricket in England and Wales after a finger-clicking trick that became known as Clickgate.
BBC One West reported that Devine was filmed during a league match in North Yorkshire clicking his fingers as the ball passed the bat. The sound mimicked the noise of the bat clipping the ball, and the umpire gave the batsman out. The opponent reacted with obvious frustration.
The footage went viral, drawing more than three million views and prompting an official investigation. It was dubbed Clickgate, with Devine nicknamed Clicky Ponting. In the BBC One West report, Andy Swiss described how a local controversy had become a global one.
The authorities also received complaints about Devine's and Saltburn's conduct in other matches. The club's second 11 was relegated and will start the 2027 season with a 60-point deduction.
BBC One West placed the episode in a line of cricket scandals, citing England's Bodyline bowling in the 1930s and Australia's ball tampering in 2018. It said rarely had a finger click been so costly.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| Cricketer Brian Devine received a two-year ban. | |
| Devine was reported to have distracted a batsman by clicking his fingers during a match in North Yorkshire. | |
| Saltburn's second XI was relegated and given a 60-point deduction for the 2027 season. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The channel gave the story a single correspondent package, with Andy Swiss framing it as a global viral controversy and a strange entry in cricket's scandal history. It stressed the punishment beyond Devine, including Saltburn's relegation and 60-point deduction, while including no comment from the player, club or umpire. The later 22:00 bulletin repeated the same package with minor wording changes and no new reporting.
- “It was the finger click that echoed around the world”
- “It's been dubbed Clickgate, the chief villain, Clicky Ponting.”
- “Rarely has a finger click been quite so costly.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.