Hawke's Bay Cricket Association CEO Craig Findlay speaks at an AGM at Nelson Park.
Homophobia, racism, obscene emails, CEO ructions.
When it comes to transparency around what is going on at the Hawke's Bay Cricket Association, ask a question, and it thuds into HBCA's pads. A dot ball. No runs.
It's been an embarrassing few months for cricket in the region, and the HBCA is now firmly taking the "silence is golden'' approach.
Hawke's Bay cricket fans, and players, have no right to know what is going on with serious issues regarding the game in the region, it seems.
Silence is a golden duck, in my view.
The latest chapter in HBCA's summer saga?
A commissioner's decision that led to 10-week bans for the sons of HBCA CEO Craig Findlay and his good mate Mike Pawson is being appealed.
The ban followed a complaint from a visiting Auckland side, that racist and homophobic comments were made in a January Twenty20 match, during a match that was part of an annual summer cricket camp.
The ban runs through to the end of this month.
Findlay and Pawson's sons were playing for a Napier Tech Year 11-13 side in January.
What happened was no surprise to many in the local cricket fraternity. The group of players involved have a reputation for loving a good sledge.
They also play for Napier Boys' High School (coached by Pawson) which has Gillette Cup Central District qualifying matches coming up this month in Palmerston North.
Gillette Cup is a national competition and a big deal in secondary school cricket.
Pawson's son and Findlay's son are key players in the NBHS team.
Draw your own conclusions around why the commissioner's decision is being appealed, because HBCA wouldn't even confirm the appeal existed.
Pawson and Findlay aren't commenting either.
No one, locally, at least, wants to front foot this one.
In January, NZC chief executive David White said he was appalled by the allegations.
NZC also said it was helping HBCA out with its "process".
NZC told Hawke's Bay Today this week the ability to appeal a decision is an important part of a just and fair process.
It's a good point, and the closest anyone is coming to commenting on the nature of the appeal - and whether it is the decision, or the length of the ban, that is being disputed.
NZC aren't saying anything else on the matter.
The embarrassment factor around the racism and homophobia allegations was high.
NZ Cricket has taken a public stand against racism in the past year. In January, David White had also said he was "very concerned'' after hearing of the comments.
NZC was also unlikely to have celebrated the fact that an offending comment or comments were made by the HBCA CEO's son, in a cricket camp organised by its CEO.
In 2020, NZ Cricket gave its support to the Human Rights Commission's "Give Nothing to Racism" campaign. The Black Caps "took a knee'' to support the Black Lives Matter movement, during the series against the West Indies.
The HBCA, on hearing of the allegations from the abandoned January match, said it was "appalled at the contents of the complaint''.
CEO Findlay, when asked about the allegations, denied there was anything to investigate. There had been a misunderstanding, he said.
He did not want Hawke's Bay Today reporting on the abandonment of the match involving his son.
When he was eventually asked about his son's involvement, he said HBCA was aware of the complaint and taking appropriate action.
When the independent commissioner found racist and homophobic comments had indeed been made, he also referred to HBCA possibly wanting to chat further to its CEO about the whole mess.
Our words, by the way: HBCA chairman James Rainger confirmed the association was dealing with its CEO internally over something referenced by the commissioner, but won't say what. Thunk. Another ball into the pads. No run.
HBCA also shut down the parties to the complaint, by asking them to not comment, and won't release the findings publicly. Double thunk.
So we - you - don't know the full extent of what the commissioner said.
Along the way, a senior Napier Tech player has been fined $150 by the HBCA for sending an abusive email to a Hawke's Bay Today staff member.
The obscene email had said the allegations against the players were untrue. The commissioner has ruled otherwise.
The player later apologised to Hawke's Bay Today, a day after we thanked Napier Tech for its apology and noted the player had said nothing.
A few weeks later, the apologetic player was on our Facebook page undermining a Hawke's Bay Today story on the continued saga, suggesting it wasn't accurate.
We stand by the facts in that story.
HBCA provided Hawke's Bay Today with a copy of the decision to fine the player, and in the same breath stated it wasn't to be reported. And that it wasn't commenting.
Thunk. Dot ball. No runs.
There is no legal reason to stop Hawke's Bay Today reporting the fact the player was fined.
There is also nothing to stop Hawke's Bay Today publishing the player's name.
We've opted not to - the stench from this mess is pungent enough.
Similarly, there is no legal reason to stop parties to the complaint and commissioner's decision to speak out.
HBCA asked those parties to not comment - they agreed.
But HBCA cannot prevent people from speaking about it.
After the initial allegations, Napier Tech club had come out swinging, saying its players would be telling a different story and it looked forward to the independent commissioner's hearing, and the chance for the accused to give their side of the story.
After the commissioner banned the players for 10 weeks, the club said it accepted the decision.
Napier Tech can probably feel slightly aggrieved by the whole mess, because the team that caused this saga was a composite side assembled for the tournament.
The club, by the way, when asked about the latest appeal, said it remained happy with the original decision and wants to move on.
HBCA probably wants all of this to go away.
Except that things like an appeal keep the issue very much alive.
There should be zero tolerance of racism and homophobia - what has happened is unacceptable, and raises genuine questions about player conduct, and the administration and management of the game.
Yet, HBCA continues to say little, its game plan consists of repeatedly padding up to the questions that arise from the actions of players and staff.
Cricket fans and players deserve more than a code of silence - many unanswered questions remain around how the original complaint was handled, and what changes might come from all of this, to prevent it happening again.
Like a bouncer to the helmet, HBCA and local cricket has taken a hard knock.
Fans and players deserve transparency from the HBCA, if only to confirm that the knock to its helmet hasn't resulted in permanent damage to the game.
