A Welsh cricket club has apologised after a tweet calling for chocolates to celebrate a victory over a team with Asian players led to a racism investigation.
Merthyr Cricket Club tweeted the message after beating local rivals Briton Ferry Town in a nail-biting match.
The club said: ‘Results are in, 1sts get the chocolates down in Briton Ferry Town! Chasing down 186!…’
But the tweet’s mentions of ‘chocolates’ sparked complaints, leading cricket chiefs to launch an investigation into whether the word referred to Briton Ferry Town’s Asian players.
In a message to Briton Ferry Town, Merthyr CC said chocolate ‘referred to winning and nothing else’.
The club later apologised and deleted the tweet after players from the rival team said they had been offended by the use of the word.
One former Briton Ferry player, originally from Pakistan, said: ‘I came across it and became very offended.
‘This topic is so sensitive for people from ethnic backgrounds.
‘I got very offended. I have got so much affection for that team and for what they gave me over the years I was there.’
In a statement, the club said: ‘Merthyr Cricket Club are aware of a tweet that was sent over the weekend and has been subsequently shared without context.
‘On recognising the potentially unintended offence which may have been caused we immediately issued a direct apology to Briton Ferry Town Cricket Club for any offence caused and assured them that there was no racial intent within the tweet.
‘We are grateful for them accepting the apology and we recognise and respect their desire to move on.
‘We have liaised with Cricket Wales and all relevant parties to ensure there is clarity over the content and context of the tweet.
‘We enjoyed an excellent game of cricket against Briton Ferry Town, played in excellent spirit, and we look forward to welcoming our friends at Briton Ferry to the club later in the season.’
Briton Ferry Town CC said: ‘Some attention has been given to a recent tweet, we have been contacted and accept that no offence was intended and accepted the apology that was given.
‘We would like to move on and look forward to this weekend fixtures.’
Leshia Hawkins, CEO of Cricket Wales said: ‘The ECB, Cricket Wales and, most importantly, Briton Ferry Town Cricket Club were satisfied that no offence was intended by the reference in the tweet.’
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