British legislation for crowd trouble

Sanjay Suri
India Abroad correspondent in London

British parliamentarians will consider a new law later this year against running on to a cricket pitch during a match.

“We are pursuing the line of trying to get legislation to make it an offence to run on to the pitch,” a spokesman for the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) told rediff.com.

Proposals for the new legislation will be drafted later this year and handed to the government. A draft Act will then have to be approved by the House of Commons followed by the House of Lords before it can take effect.

“We are looking to get the legislation in place before the summer season next year,” the ECB spokesman said.

The proposals are being considered as a matter of urgency by the ECB following repeated cases of assault from sections of crowds during the Natwest one-day series in England this summer.

The trouble arose invariably during matches where Pakistan was playing. Pakistani fans invaded the field, and players were pushed and jostled. One player escaped injury on the field when a missile was hurled at him, another by a beer can hurled at the presentation ceremony during the finals which Pakistan lost.

The ECB is looking to legislation that will cover all matches and not to short-term measures to guard against any one set of fans, the spokesman said.

But the ECB is taking measures this summer itself to protect cricketers and pitches. England play a five-Test series against Australia with the first match beginning at Edgbaston July 9.

The ECB legislation will hold for England. But it is expected to become a model for similar legislation or rules to be enforced also in other countries.