Team lose cricket match due to printer problems

A team has lost a match in Northern Ireland because their printer was not available when needed.

Ballyspallen were hosting Eglinton in the North West Cricket Union Premier League on Saturday.

Eglinton were all out for 159 in 48.1 overs and the hosts were on 19, just two overs into their response, when rain hit at Ballyspallen.

Overs were set to be lost and officials declared that the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method was to be calculated.

However, a DLS sheet could not be produced and, as a result, the visiting Eglinton team were awarded the victory.

North West Cricket Union regulations state the team which hosts the match will immediately lose the game if a DLS sheet cannot be produced to both sides and umpires.

The regulations also state that the home club should have "a computer loaded with the necessary software, a compatible and operational printer with a sufficient supply of paper and ink, and a proficient operator".

The NWCU adds that it should be "operational" prior to the start of the match.

CORRECTION 4 September 2026: This article has been updated to reflect the fact that Ballyspallen's league position was initially reported as being bottom of the table when they were third in the table at the time of reporting.

CORRECTION 21 September 2026: This article has been further updated to reflect information that was subsequently provided by Ballyspallen Cricket Club about the status of its printer. The Club say due to a software update, the printer was unable to produce a DLS sheet immediately. The article had originally reported the printer was "broken".

The original article said that Ballyspallen had "conceded" the match. The match was awarded to Eglinton by the umpire as a result of the lack of DLS sheet.