THE former manager of Newclose County Cricket Ground, Mike Scott, has been handed a lifetime rugby union ban by the sport's governing body, the RFU.
Scott, who managed Newclose from its opening in 2008 through until May 2011, was given the punishment yesterday (Friday) after he was found guilty of falsifying documents to make an overseas player, New Zealander Tyson Keats, appear English, during his role as team manager of London Welsh.
The RFU disciplinary panel said Scott had claimed Keats was from Christchurch, England, and not Christchurch,
New Zealand, on a player registration form, lied in a phone call stating Keats had emigrated to New Zealand with his family while a toddler, and also forged a passport.
Keats then played a number of games in the Premiership for the club, which has also been docked points and fined £15,000 for the offence. The club is appealing.
Prior to managing Newclose, Scott was team manager at Saracens and later, chief executive of Harlequins.
He has 14 days to appeal against his lifetime ban, but if this is unsuccessful, he cannot ask for the ban to be lifted for a decade.