Bajan cop sues Waugh (1 May 1999)

1 May 1999

Bajan cop sues Waugh

The Trinidad Express

Barbados's Commissioner of Police Grantley Watson is suing Australian cricket captain Steve Waugh.

In an ex-parte writ filed yesterday, the police chief is claiming damages and compensation for remarks Waugh allegedly made following the bottle-throwing incident at Kensington Oval, last Sunday, when the last of seven One-day Internationals between Australia and the West Indies was played.

Waugh is reported to have said following the bottle-throwing incident that he had no choice but to allow West Indies opener Sherwin Campbell to return to bat since his safety and that of the other players could not be guaranteed if he had chosen otherwise. The bottle-throwing began after Campbell was run out following a collision with Aussie allrounder Brendon Julian.

Australian newspapers reported that following the incident, which forced play to be played for about 45 minutes, the Australian team was offered an ultimatum by security officials to continue the game or live in fear.

In Tuesday's edition of The Australian newspaper, reporter Andrew Ramsey wrote that Waugh said that while the players waited for the hail of glass bottles and refuse to stop, after a controversial run-out decision incited the capacity crowd of around 15,000 fans, he was told there was no way the safety of players staying in the City could be guaranteed if the match was called off.

However, in the writ filed against the Australian captain, the police chief is claiming that such a statement was damaging and degrading to the post he held since he was lawfully responsible for guaranteeing the safety of Barbadians and visitors alike.

Waugh was also reported to have said following the match: "I guess we thought in the interests of cricket that we'd want to keep the game going, and also we didn't have any guarantees to our safety if the game was called off.

"The police said it would be a much worse situation if we didn't go back out there and play, so we had no choice in the matter."

Hearing of the matter began yesterday morning before Mr Justice Carlisle Payne in the Supreme Court.

Source :: The Trinidad Express (https://www.trinidad.net/express/)