Headbutt leaves Vic teen umpire in pain

A teenage umpire allegedly bashed for telling a senior cricketer to stop drinking at a Victorian junior cricket match says he is still in pain after the attack.

A teenage cricket umpire "headbutted and punched" by a senior player at a Melbourne junior match says his eyesight "comes and goes" and he has headaches.

Police were called to a sports reserve at Sunshine North on Friday night after reports a 15-year-old umpire had been assaulted at an under-11s game between Sunshine and Caroline Springs.

The young victim told AAP on Tuesday he has an ongoing headache and his "eyesight comes and goes" since being "headbutted and punched in the head".

It is understood the teen told a man who was drinking alcohol in the clubrooms that the consumption of spirits was banned at junior cricket games.

The man, understood to be a senior cricketer for Sunshine, allegedly verbally abused the boy, chased him outside and physically assaulted him.

The boy was taken to a Melbourne hospital and police are investigating the incident after interviewing a number of witnesses, a spokeswoman said.

The teen umpires junior matches as a casual, part-time job and plays for Caroline Springs' under-17 team.

Sports Minister John Eren labelled the man's behaviour "intolerable" and said the alleged perpetrator "should be brought to justice".

Caroline Springs Cricket Club president Steve Collins, who was called to the ground, appealed for members to not drop to the "low standards of others" and engage in social media commentary.

"We would also like to thank the parents that were present at the incident for remaining calm and ensuring the safety of our junior players," he said.

The Western Regional Junior Cricket Association confirmed the incident but declined to comment, while the Sunshine Cricket Club has not responded to questions.


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Source: AAP



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