Cricket match abandoned after charging bull stops play
A North East Premier League cricket match in northeast England was abandoned when a runaway bull stormed the field and charged at players, leading to safety concerns and the game's cancellation.
A cricket match in the North East Premier League between Burnopfield CC and Hetton Lyons was called off on Saturday evening after a runaway bull entered the playing field. Martin Oswell, director of Burnopfield Cricket Club near Newcastle, said the young bull, weighing about 800kg, escaped from a farm and travelled approximately one mile to reach the ground around 3pm.
Safety concerns arose as the animal was seen charging at players and farmers attempting to recapture it. Oswell described the bull as "spooked" and dangerous. Police were eventually called, and the bull left the field "of its own accord," Oswell said.
"Two of the farmers tried to stop the bull and it actually hit one of them," Oswell told the Press Association. "He was OK but the beast probably weighed about 800kg. It was a juvenile bull, incredibly fit, athletic – quite frankly, it was quite dangerous."
The bull's owner brought a cow to the cricket club in an attempt to lure the animal off the field but failed. "The farmer who owns the bull arrived and tried to cajole it into a pen, but it failed. The bull was very frightened – it was spooked," Oswell added.
At the time of the interruption, Burnopfield CC, who are second in the league, had scored 226 runs, while Hetton Lyons were 12 for one. The match could not be restarted before the cutoff time and was officially abandoned.
