MCC tightens Code of Conduct after two serious incidents last summer

MCC issues new Code of Conduct to its 23,000 members after a woman revealed she was assaulted in the Lord’s pavilion last summer and a man was subjected to anti-semitic abuse

• The MCC have tightened their Code of Conduct after incidents last summer
• A woman was assaulted in Lord’s pavilion and a man suffered anti-semitic abuse 
• The two victims told their stories at Wednesday’s AGM and police were involved
• The eyes of the world will be on the MCC this summer for the World Cup 

MCC, the guardians of the spirit of cricket and its laws, have tightened the Code of Conduct for their 23,000-strong membership after it emerged that a woman was assaulted in the Lord’s pavilion last summer and a man subjected to anti-semitic abuse.

The stories were told by the two victims at Wednesday’s AGM after club president Anthony Wreford reminded members that the eyes of the global cricket community would be on them this summer. Lord’s hosts the World Cup final on July 14, followed by high-profile Tests against Ireland and Australia.

The woman stood up at the meeting to explain that she had been ‘attacked’, and was surprised when other members failed to come immediately to her assistance. The details of the assault are unclear and because the police were involved MCC would not say what action, if any, was taken against her alleged assailant. After speaking, the woman received a round of applause.

The MCC has tightened its Code of Conduct following two serious incidents last summer

A woman was assaulted in the Lord’s pavilion while a man was subject to anti-semitic abuse

The case of anti-semitism also led to police involvement, before the man decided to drop charges for fear of involving the club in bad publicity.

In a third incident described during the AGM, a group of men pelted fellow diners with ice cubes, one of which hit a five-year-old boy in the face.

MCC secretary and chief executive Guy Lavender said in a statement to Sportsmail: ‘At our AGM, members voted overwhelmingly to approve the inclusion of an internal Code of Conduct.

‘While disciplinary procedures were already included in the club’s rules, it was felt that a Code of Conduct, defining in more detail the behaviour expected of MCC members, is both timely and necessary, reflecting the increasingly diverse profile of the membership and the current positive period of change for MCC.

‘The vast majority of members respect the club’s values and thoroughly enjoy their visits to Lord’s. But MCC is not immune from occasional incidents of poor behaviour, and we will always address these matters swiftly and appropriately in conjunction with the individuals concerned. The AGM highlighted the club’s stance that such behaviour will not be tolerated.

The eyes of the world will be on the MCC this summer as England host the cricket World Cup

‘During the course of the AGM, two members spoke in support of the new Code of Conduct, each delivering testimony of a negative experience they had at the club last summer. The club was aware of both instances at the time they were reported; each matter was dealt with in a proactive manner and the club’s response was praised by the individuals concerned.’

The news follows some more positive headlines for MCC. On Monday, it was announced that 134 women had joined the club, the biggest single influx since the men-only rule was ditched in 1998, more than 200 years after the club was founded. That took the number of female members to 645.

Two days later, it emerged that Wreford’s successor as president would be the popular former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara – the first non-Briton to hold the office.

Source: Read Full Article