Barnsley Woolley Miners CC would welcome an investigation into Azeem Rafiq's allegations of being forced to drink wine as a 15-year-old while their chairman has faced disciplinary action and will 'undergo education' for comments he made online.
Rafiq has claimed that, aged 15, red wine was forced down his throat in a car by a Barnsley player. The club was then called Barnsley CC but has since changed its name.
Rafiq's claims of racism at Yorkshire CCC have led to a government investigation as well as the club being suspended from hosting England matches while several key figures have resigned or been suspended. Rafiq himself yesterday admitted racist comments towards Jewish people as a teenager.
A Barnsley statement read: "We initiated a search of our welfare records and contacted our former safeguarding officer and there is no record of any incident being reported at that or any other time. If Azeem wants to provide those details, we will of course initiate an investigation. For the record, the cricket club would not have allowed such behaviour to take place unchallenged if it had been aware. We would also welcome any independent investigative body to provide the transparency that a serious allegation of this nature deserves."
Chairman Phil Chapman has faced disciplinary from both the league and club, including a suspension and sanction as well as a club penalty, for online comments about a black player.
"BWMCC strongly believe that it is important that we educate and raise awareness to all and ensure that we enable anyone that falls below the club's standards to both face the relevant punishment and provide the relevant rehabilitation or education. Following that action, the BWMCC chairman will this winter, undergo education around the whole area of inclusion and diversity."
Rafiq and his siblings joined the club soon after arriving from Pakistan as children. Azeem came through the junior ranks then returned to Shaw Lane between his two spells as a first team player at Yorkshire.
"Barnsley Woolley Miners Cricket Club (BWMCC) believe discrimination should not be tolerated in any way, shape or form and we sympathise with our former player Azeem Rafiq on what he has experienced and been through. We believe that this will ultimately help to provide areas of change and implementation to make the game of cricket better.
"BWMCC have an excellent representation of all backgrounds and currently percentage wise, the town of Barnsley has three per cent BAME population and BWMCC has ten per cent members of BAME background.
"We have employed a very talented Indian player for the past five full seasons and we are proud to have one of the largest ethnic representations of any local club, with players travelling from both inside and outside the area of Barnsley to play across both junior and senior cricket, with our long serving club captain also being of BAME background who also sits on the league's equity and diversity group.
"We work together with all our members to provide a welcoming and all-inclusive environment so that all members can both prosper and enjoy playing cricket for BWMCC."When the Rafiq family arrived as asylum seekers into Barnsley we as a club enlisted local MP’s support to ensure that the family could remain in Barnsley and very quickly made the whole Rafiq family part and parcel of the club.
"When he returned to us after being released by YCCC we went over and above in terms of pastoral care, coaching and volunteer hours to help. Azeem also did great work in helping to persuade players to join our club during those periods."
