Bellville Cricket Club have avoided relegation from the Western Province Cricket Association premier league, after successfully proving seamer Chris Russell was registered as an overseas player prior to the start of the 2015-16 season.
The Northerns Suburbs-based team occupied seventh position in the 10-team WPCA premier league standings at the start of April, but would have lost more than 30 points – and fallen below eighth-placed St Augustine Cricket Club and ninth-placed Victoria Cricket Club – had a ruling made by the WPCA local leagues committee last month been upheld.
“It was picked up after the overseas player registration deadline that there was no registration documents for Chris Russell at WPCA office,” read a statement from the WPCA LLC in March.
“Bellville CC claim to have registered Russell with the WPCA office before the deadline of registration of overseas players and before he played his first match for Bellville CC in the current season. The club was requested by the WPCA office to submit documents and evidence of Russell’s registration that were submitted to be further investigated.
“Members perused the documentation submitted by Bellville CC and deemed it inconclusive. Bellville will lose points for two premier league games in which Russell played during the first half of the 2015-16 season. These two games would be the two games that they got the highest points for.”
However, an extract from appeals board convenor Raffique Motala’s findings document this week confirmed: “Having noted the evidence before the committee, the committee was of the view that the factual finding made by the LLC was, in fact, inconclusive. The LLC was unable to prove, on a balance of probabilities, that BCC failed to furnish the relevant and necessary documentation timeously.
“Furthermore, BCC were able to provide a facsimile journal report, which reflects that a facsimile was successfully transmitted on or about 9 October at 10h08 and subsequently, providing an original copy of the WPCA foreign player registration form, by hand delivery, immediately upon being asked to do so.
“In addition, the Western Province Cricket Association could not produce evidence to prove that, on a balance of probabilities, the document which it allegedly received via facsimile (as per the journal report) was not in fact the requisite registration form. In coming to its decision, the committee further considered the impact that ‘administrative issues’ may have impacted on the outcome of a club’s performance during its season.
“In conclusion, the committee rules that the decision of the LLC be overruled, for the various reasons outlined above. As such, any previous sanction(s) imposed on BCC by the LLC will be withdrawn with immediate effect and WPCA will refund the deposit of R1,000.00.”
The outcome effectively seals Victoria CC and 10th-placed United Cricket Club’s demotion to the first division A.
Born in the Isle of Wight, the 27-year-old Russell plays for Worcestershire in English county cricket.