Yorkshire Cricket Club under pressure after racial abuse controversy

Written by Staff Writer by Jillian Sederholm, CNN It’s a scandal that has rumbled on for weeks, with cricketers and pundits both calling for the resignations of members of the cricket club where Durham…

Yorkshire Cricket Club under pressure after racial abuse controversy

Written by Staff Writer by Jillian Sederholm, CNN

It’s a scandal that has rumbled on for weeks, with cricketers and pundits both calling for the resignations of members of the cricket club where Durham University employee Mark Stoneman was subjected to racist abuse during the final of the County Championship.

CNN’s Martin Stylianou reports on the county’s story.

But as the British cricketing world and wider public continues to grapple with the fallout from the Stoneman affair, it’s emerged that one of the game’s most prestigious clubs, the Yorkshire county team, is also struggling to find its way.

Cricket News

Yorkshire Cricket Club said Monday that former first-team coach Jason Gillespie and the club’s head of cricket, Gary Yates, had both left their positions by mutual consent.

The resignation of Gillespie, a former Australia Test and one-day captain, comes after the club’s annual general meeting last month, when the board faced calls to suspend and remove Yates.

Speaking on behalf of the club in a statement posted on their website, chief executive Mike Rashford said there was “no indication at this stage” that Yates would be sacked.

The club is working closely with the county’s governing body to determine Yates’ future, it added.

Alex Hales, also a Durham cricketer, was among many sportsmen from different disciplines who joined in calling for the resignation of Leeds club members after a North Eastern Racial Abuse Petition was posted on social media in June.

North Eastern Racism Petition

Yorkshire Cricket Club has already faced a series of resignations from its senior team, as well as the chief executive and chairman following a review into how Durham County Cricket Club handled the abuse of the batsman.

All three have now left the club but a full assessment of their actions has yet to be completed.

Player Phil Mustard, along with Jason Leonard, retired after Stoneman was abused. Other former players Darren Gough, Mark Ramprakash and Ali Brown have also reportedly quit.

A Durham County Cricket Club investigation into the behaviour of Stoneman’s team-mates is also ongoing and is expected to be complete in the coming days.

By the time of writing, the comments were being removed from the Twitter page of former Yorkshire player Steven Davies, who tweeted: “With every passing day I see more silence in the county board and from the Rugby Club. It’s just disgusting.”

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