For the second time in less than a year, Ronsford Beaton, the Guyana Harpy Eagles fast bowler has been reported for a ‘suspect’ bowling action. Beaton was reported during the first-round West Indies 4-Day Championship match between Guyana Harpy Eagles and Trinidad and Tobago Red Force at the Conaree Cricket Centre in St. Kitts, which ended last Saturday.
According to Cricket West Indies (CWI) which released a statement yesterday; “As part of the process, once a player is reported for a suspect bowling action, video footage from the match in which the player was reported is provided to CWI. The video footage along with the written report is then sent to the CWI Bowling Review Group (BRG) and Loughborough University for analysis using an Opinion Report”.
“On Sunday, Cricket West Indies (CWI) confirmed that the Opinion Report by the Independent Assessor at Loughborough University, has found Beaton’s bowling action to be illegal and, as such, he has been suspended from bowling in all West Indies international and regional matches with immediate effect”.
replace Ronsford Beaton
“The assessment revealed that Beaton’s deliveries exceeded the level of tolerance for extension of the elbow permitted under playing regulations. As per the International Cricket Council (ICC) regulations the suspension will also apply to all other domestic leagues worldwide”.
CWI noted that Beaton will remain suspended “until such time as his action is found to be legal, either by an Opinion Report from Loughborough University or by an independent analysis from an accredited ICC testing centre, in accordance with the CWI Regulations for Dealing with Suspected Illegal Bowling Actions”.
The fast bowler who hails from Essequibo, first ran into trouble with his action in December of 2017. He was suspended in May of 2018 before being cleared in August of that year.
Yet again, Beaton ran afoul of the laws regarding bowling actions in 2019 being reported for a suspect action during the then Guyana Jaguars’ match against the United States in the Colonial Medical Insurance Super50 Cup.
Then last year, Beaton was reported back in March by match officials during the fourth round West Indies Championship match between Guyana Harpy Eagles and Jamaica Scorpions at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence. He was then cleared to resume bowling in May of that year after an assessment of his remodelled action was found acceptable within the limits of ICC.
Meanwhile, young Berbician Isai Thorne who is fresh from competing with the West Indies Men’s Under 19 team at the recently concluded ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup in South Africa, will replace Beaton in the Harpy Eagles set-up.
The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) has hailed Thorne as “one of Guyana’s top pace prospects and the Windies most recent find, he will play a key role in the Eagles fast-bowling department, Alongside Ronaldo Ali Mohamed and company”.
On the suspension of Beaton, the GCB has not released a statement aside from mentioning that Thorne will be his replacement.
Round two of matches in the West Indies Championship will bowl off tomorrow with the Harpy Eagles facing the Leeward Islands Hurricanes at Warner Park, Basseterre in St Kitts. Guyana’s first-round match against Trinidad and Tobago was abandoned with no result due to seepage of water onto the pitch from 24 hours of persistent rainfall.
