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'Racist' scar forces colt to quit club
Jan 10, 2001, 11:35 Hrs (IST)

London: An England Under 19 cricketer has left his club in Australia after alleging he was the victim of racist abuse from a local umpire.

Michael Carberry, a black batsman who is on the staff of English county champions Surrey, told the 'Daily Telegraph' on Tuesday that he was physically assaulted by umpire Ken Gadsden, racially abused and accused by the official of branding him a cheat.

Carberry was playing for Portland Colts Cricket Club in Victoria but is now set to join Surrey teammates in Perth. The attack is alleged to have taken place in bar on Christmas Eve where Carberry was drinking with friends.

"Ken Gadsen came in and accused me of calling him a cheat and he started racially abusing me, saying 'you black this' and 'you black that', telling me to go back where I came from.

"He grabbed me, broke my neck chain, shoved me and was racially abusing me," Carberry added. Gadsden, who refused to comment to the 'Telegraph', was reportedly pulled away by his wife.

The incident seemingly related to an lbw decision given by Gadsden against Carberry. In his match report the Portland captain wrote saying the umpiring was good - apart from that one decision.

Carberry was bitter that the Portland Cricket Association was not prepared to investigate his allegations against Gadsden, who is also the association president and chairman of the umpiring panel.

"He owns the league," said Carberry. "He's association president and head of the umpiring panel so he'd have to get rid of himself," added the Surrey left-hander, who claimed his position had been made untenable by the association's lack of action.

" I don't think he should have any part to play in cricket. There's no place for racists in sport," said Carberry, one of several black/ mixed race cricketers at Surrey.

Portland Colts president Denis Belden said, "It's an embarrassment to cricket in Portland. The one assurance we gave Surrey was that there would not be a racial problem."

Copyright AFP 2000