A BURNLEY teenager arrested following violence at an international Cricket match has walked free from court after prosecutors failed to secure evidence from a TV cameraman covering the game.

The case against the 17-year-old student from the Burnley Wood area, collapsed yesterday after District Judge Mr Roger Davies said he was tired of waiting for a statement from the Sky Sports employee, who is currently covering the England team's one day series in New Zealand.

He threw out the case against the youth and three others during a hearing at London's Horseferry Road Magistrates Court.

He said it would still be open to the Crown to recharge the four: "If they are to get their act together at a later date."

The four faced allegations of affray using or threatening violence following Australia's National Westminster one-day international victory over Pakistan last June.

Aussie cricketer and former Rawtenstall Cricket Club professional Michael Bevan was hit by a missile during the disturbances at London's Lord's cricket ground and suffered slight reddening and swelling to the face.

Lord's stewards and a white fan were also allegedly attacked by a group of Asians on the pitch.

Cases against all four, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were dropped when the judge became angry that the Crown Prosecution Service had failed to get the case ready for committal to the crown court.

They asked for a further adjournment on the case to allow time to track down a Sky Sports employee and get a witness statement. The court heard the employee was working in New Zealand.

The judge refused the adjournment.

He said: "This has been dragging on since June of last year. The police and the crown should have had their tackle in order by today.

"It is high time police officers and the prosecutors learned to get their cases together on time."

All four, including a youth of 16 from Barking, East London, a bank worker from East Ham, East London, and a student from South Norwood, South London, were charged with affray using or threatening behaviour.

They had pleaded not guilty at an earlier hearing but were charged with violent disorder by prosecutor Cleo Perry yesterday.

The judge discharged all four on all counts.

Miss Perry told the court the alleged incident was recorded by Sky Sports satellite television and asked for a fortnight's adjournment for the Crown to obtain a statement from a Sky Sports employee who had been working in New Zealand.

The judge stopped the case after hearing protest from one of the defendant's lawyers, Paul Kaufman, who strongly oppose a further delay.

Bevan became a batting sensation and a big hit with Rawtenstall fans during his stay in East Lancashire in the early 1990s where he broke the club's professional batting record at the Bacup Road ground.