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The amateur cricketer whose finger-clicking wicket deception has sparked a global cheating storm apparently once used the same trick to win his team a trophy in a title decider match, the Daily Mail can reveal.
Brian Devine – now known as 'Clicky Ponting' – seems to have hoodwinked umpires to get three opponent batsmen out in a key match in which his side needed a convincing victory to clinch a local league championship.
The proudest moment in Devine's amateur sporting career came when he led former club Pudsey St Lawrence to the Bradford Premier League second tier title in 2023.
The team, which is nicknamed the Saints, had to convincingly beat their oldest rivals Pudsey Congs in a 50-over derby match on the final day of the season if they were to win the trophy.
Devine, the team's captain, was hoping to go out on a high note as it was to be his last ever game for the club.
A day of high drama at their opponent's Amber Cars Britannia ground in the West Yorkshire market town ended in Pudsey St Lawrence winning the title with an emphatic eight wicket victory.
As skipper, Devine, 38, was seen proudly holding aloft the league championship trophy in photographs posted on the club's social media feeds.
But the newly unearthed footage – which was live-streamed at the time and has since been uncovered by the Mail – casts the result of the title-winning match into doubt.
The amateur cricketer whose finger-clicking wicket deception has sparked a global cheating storm apparently once used the same trick to win his team a trophy in a title decider match (pictured), the Daily Mail can reveal
Brian Devine (pictured), who is now known as 'Clicky Ponting', seems to have hoodwinked umpires to get three opponent batsmen out in a key match in which his side needed a convincing victory to clinch a local league championship
It shows Devine apparently attempting to mislead umpires with his finger clicking antics on a series of occasions – leading to wickets falling at crucial points in the game.
The Daily Mail can reveal that three bemused players from the opposing team were given out in almost identical circumstances – after balls flew past their bats at close proximity before landing in the gloves of the wicketkeeper.
Devine is clearly seen clicking his fingers in what appear to be carefully timed routines that mimicked the sound of a ball hitting the bat.
The Mail had already revealed earlier this week how Devine's clicky antics had been dated back a full five years to his days playing for Pudsey St Lawrence.
Now today's new fresh revelations have led to calls for the club, which was founded in 1845, to be stripped of the title it won thanks to Devine in 2023.
Members of rival teams – who believe umpires have been routinely misled over a number of years – want the Bradford Premier League to mount a formal investigation.
One source told the Daily Mail: 'Our lads have been looking back at surviving film and score books and we have come to the conclusion that he's been at it for years.
'Young players will have lost opportunities because of this, match results will have undoubtedly been affected, and there is a good case for now stripping Pudsey St Lawrence of its 2023 title.'
The source added: 'Devine was a highly competitive and quite bumptious captain, and the bigger question is of course what club staff and his team-mates did or didn't know about his antics.'
The new revelations come just days after Devine was suspended for the 'foreseeable future' by his current club Saltburn CC over accusations he had used his clicking technique to trick umpires into wrongly giving batsmen out.
The club were placed under investigation by the North Yorkshire and South Durham Cricket League following a complaint made in the aftermath of Saltburn's 159-run win over Norton in a Second XI Division Two match.
Video footage of the incident went viral online and has been reported around the globe – where commentators from England's biggest cricketing rivals including Australia have been leading the condemnation.
Devine – who is company secretary and financial manager of a livestock auction house – is yet to comment on the allegations.
The 2023 title-win proved third time lucky for Pudsey St Lawrence under Devine's captaincy after they had finished third in the table in 2021 and fourth in 2022.
One of the most venerable teams in club cricket, Pudsey St Lawrence has produced two of Yorkshire and England's greatest ever players – Herbert Sutcliffe, who averaged more than 60 in Test matches, and Sir Leonard Hutton, who scored 368 against Australia in 1938.
The new revelations come just days after Devine was suspended for the 'foreseeable future' by his current club Saltburn CC over accusations he had used his clicking technique in a Second XI Division Two match (pictured) against Norton Cricket Club last weekend
A complaint was made in the aftermath of Saltburn's 159-run win last Saturday. Video footage of the incident (pictured) later went viral online and has been reported around the globe
New Zealand stars Mark Greatbatch and Martin Crowe also spent time playing there.
The club has had a longstanding local rivalry with Pudsey Congs where former England pace bowler Matthew Hoggard started out.
There was great anticipation when the teams came face to face on the final day of the season in September 2023.
The Saints – who put out a team made up of a handful of senior cricketers playing alongside young 'homegrown talent' – went into the match knowing they needed a convincing win as two other teams in the league including the then-reigning champions could have overhauled them.
In the footage uncovered by the Daily Mail in which the entire match is shown, spectators sitting on deck chairs positioned behind the boundary can be seen watching on as the drama unfolded on a day of glorious sunshine.
After winning the toss, the home team elected to open the batting and there were 15 runs on the scoreboard when the first wicket fell in the ninth over of the match.
Devine, who was fielding at third slip, can be seen apparently preparing his clicking action as the bowler delivered the first three balls of his over without conceding any runs.
When the batsman takes a hefty swing at the fourth delivery, Devine flamboyantly clicked his fingers as the ball raced past into the wicketkeeper's gloves.
The captain enthusiastically appealed to the umpire along with his other teammates – and the batsman was given out having scored just seven runs.
The bemused-looking player momentarily remains at his crease before walking off towards the pavilion.
Just 16 minutes later, with the score at 31-1, a second player was dismissed in an almost identical way.
The batsman, who had scored one run, apparently nicked the ball while playing a forward defensive shot.
In the background, Devine can be seen carrying out his seemingly well-prepared manoeuvre before leading the appeals for a dismissal.
Again, the umpire raised his finger and the batsman trudged off with the score at 31-2.
It was not until the 36th over of the match that Devine was apparently able to utilise his unique talent again.
With the score at 117-5, he moved himself into the position of first slip.
Two balls later, with the wicketkeeper standing up to the wicket, Devine apparently clicked his fingers again as the ball went past the bat into the keeper's gloves.
The batsman, who had scored just one run, stepped back into his crease as Devine led noisy celebrations.
When the match official confirmed that the batsman had been caught out, the player momentarily stood his ground as he appeared to question the decision.
He is seen repeatedly shaking his head as he walked off the pitch – once again in apparent disbelief.
In the end, Pudsey Congs slumped to a disappointing 142 all out after just 42.5 overs of play.
Devine went on to open the batting for his team – facing the very first ball of the innings.
He was the second batsman to lose his wicket, scoring just four runs before he was caught out after clearly edging the ball into the hands of the wicketkeeper – leaving his team struggling at 25-2.
Despite the early setback, his team quickly turned things around and took a firm grip of the match.
They suffered no further loss of wickets as they raced to a winning total with 76 balls remaining.
The title-winning team were applauded enthusiastically by delighted supporters who rose to their feet after the winning runs were scored.
Further footage of a Bradford Premier League match in August 2021 has also come to light, leading to claims Devine began his cheating antics as long as five years ago.
Only a tiny number of matches were filmed at the time but statistics show that during the three seasons Devine captained Pudsey St Lawrence, this particular wicketkeeper took 96 catches – an average of 32 per year.
After his championship-winning exploits, Devine returned to Saltburn, his childhood club, the following season.
In the two years that followed his departure, the wicketkeeper in question took 22 and 15 catches respectively. So far this season, he's managed just five.
Club officials, however, insist they had never received a complaint from opponents over the cricketer's behaviour.
The Mail revealed earlier this week how Devine's clicky antics had been dated back a full five years to his days playing for Pudsey St Lawrence. Pictured: Footage from a Bradford Premier League match in August 2021, in which he can be seen repeatedly clicking his fingers
Martin Reed, Chairperson at Pudsey St Lawrence Cricket Club, told the Daily Mail: 'We were not aware of any issues with Mr Devine's behaviour during his time at the club, nor were concerns raised with us by other clubs or officials.
'Had we been made aware of any issues at the time we would have taken appropriate action.
'It is some time since Mr Devine left Pudsey St Lawrence and we are aware that the North Yorkshire and South Durham Cricket League and Saltburn Cricket Club are currently investigating the matter.'