The latest example of winning at all costs occurred in a most unlikely, or a most likely, setting, depending on your opinion of the legal fraternity: the recent 6th Lawyers Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka.

Australia, spearheaded by former South Tamworth player Nick Leyden’s 4-31, won by six runs the rain-shortened final against Sri Lanka at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo.

But that only happened after India and Pakistan, the two original finalists, were disqualified for cheating.

A hastily convened tribunal consisting of an English judge, a Bangladeshi judge and an Indian judge – there was obviously no shortage of legal expertise available – ruled that both teams were stacked with first-class cricketers, in breach of the tournament’s rules.

Leyden said: “We lost to India in the semi-final and Sri Lanka lost to Pakistan in the semi-final.

“However, Pakistan had two first-class cricketers in their side and India had four … When we played Pakistan they had a 26-year-old and a 27-year-old pair of fast bowlers, and they were extremely quick.

“It was fun at the time. We didn’t know they were cricketers at the time. There was also a cloud over whether they were lawyers.”

He added: “You can only image, with the amount of lawyers there, how many people were putting their two bob’s in. It was pretty fun. We had a good tournament, otherwise.”

It was Leyden’s first Lawyers World Cup and, despite India and Pakistan’s poor sportsmanship, he enjoyed the event and hopes to play in it again.

“Despite the controversy that had gone on, that was all forgotten with the game [the final],” he said. “It was such an exciting game.”

“It was an interesting tournament,” he added. “They put on functions every night. We had drinks at the Australian High Commission and the ex-prime minister’s house. The police escorted the team bus to the ground, and we were treated very well.”

The next World Cup will be in either New Zealand or India (Bangalore) in 2019.