A college cricket association has been suspended after reports of “human torture” initiation rituals emerged.
Members of Cardiff University’s men’s cricket association allegedly treated freshers as “worthless” at sporting events, with one student claiming his head was shoved into a toilet bowl.
Other allegations included pupils being forced to eat raw onions, having their faces stuffed with wet socks and being ‘forced’ into pints.
Student newspaper The Tab has reported that practices will no longer be held, and it has been claimed that the red and yellow blazers that make up the club’s uniforms would also be banned.
The society said it was shocked by the claims and is investigating, but says it has yet to find any evidence that they are true.
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It has since been confirmed to Cardiff Tab that the cricket association has been suspended pending an investigation.
The claims came after reports of other clubs also holding social events at Misfits on the same night.
One student who had been at the club told The Cardiff Tab that first-year recruits were subjected to degrading acts by “returning society members”.
Another witness described it as “like watching a kind of human torture”.
One witness, called Fin, claimed first years were forced to “eat raw onions” and kneel in cricket whites without shoes.
Fin told Tab that the floor was “wet and smelly” when the new members had to put “wet socks” in their mouths.
It was also reported that older students also threw pints at them.
Members of the society allegedly forced first-year students down cider and beer, while gagging and vomiting from “a mixture of raw onions and alcohol”.
Fin said: “One of my friends was in a guy’s way. He said, ‘sorry’ and then he had to take off his shoes and socks and put the socks in his mouth.
The timer was then set for 10 minutes.
“They didn’t enjoy it and obviously part of society means you have to do things you wouldn’t normally do, but it was just a bit too far,” he added.
In Misfits, another student named Billie claimed that when her first year threw up in the toilet, an older member of the society came in and forced her head into the toilet bowl.
Misfits told The Cardiff Tab that it would never tolerate bullying at its venue and was not aware of any such behavior as it was not reported by staff or students on the day.
Cardiff University said it is adopting zero tolerance initiatives and is working closely with the union to investigate the allegations.
After the party ended, witnesses and other Cardiff University students said cups were strewn on the street outside the venue, along with onions, socks and sick people.
The cricket club said: “We are shocked and appalled by these allegations and are working closely with the Students’ Union to address these allegations.
“These allegations do not represent the ethos of the Cricket Club and anyone found guilty of these allegations will be punished accordingly.
“The club also wants to emphasize that these are claims, and have not yet found evidence of their accuracy.”
Misfits said: “We are not aware of any behavior such as ‘forcing a first year’s head down the Misfits toilet and flushing it for about 10 seconds’ and we do not condone such behavior in any way.
“This was not brought to our attention on the day, and there were no behavior or issues reported by customers or staff on the day. The well-being of customers and staff is a huge focus for us and we spend a lot of time as a team making sure people are safe and looked after so they can enjoy the evening safely.
They added: “We have a long-standing relationship with Cardiff University Men’s Cricket Club and have been nothing but friendly and respectful towards our staff and the venue up until now.”
Cardiff Students’ Union said: “We are aware of the concerns raised about the conduct of members of the men’s cricket club and are working closely with the committee to review the allegations. The club has been suspended pending investigations.
‘Cardiff Students’ Union will not tolerate threatening or derogatory behavior of any kind. We expect all student clubs and societies to uphold our values of respect and inclusion at all times.
Cardiff University said it condemned the alleged behavior and said: “We have zero tolerance” for initiations.
“Such behavior will not be tolerated. We are working closely with our student union to investigate the matter and will take necessary action against those involved.
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