The venue famous for a series of public relations disasters a couple of years ago would not tolerate patrons embracing anything out of the ordinary.It came as no surprise then to see a group of apparently harmless supporters frog marched out of the gates by security staff after showing the temerity and bad-taste to start dancing the Conga halfway through the one-dayer between Zimbabwe and New Zealand.

After all, this is the ground that banned fancy dress a couple of years ago after it discovered that the patrons were coming along dressed in Roman Togas or as the Spice Girls, and having far more fun than is healthy for anygroup of individuals.

First there was the case of the 51-year-old professor Brian Cheeseman, who was forcibly ejected from a Headingly Test two years ago after arriving dressed as a giant carrot. He began legal proceedings against the Yorkshire County Cricket Club on the basis of discrimination against vegetables.

It seems the idea of introducing humour into British sport has still some way to go until it is fully understood and tolerated let alone appreciated.Football clubs at one state merchandised a lot of inflatable goods.

Manchester city fans always carried a bunch of blow up bananas, while sea port Grimsby Town opted for an inflatable haddock.

The inflatables haven't completely disappeared either. Shane Warne was taunted with a blow-up whale in Australia's match against Scotland last month, while a New Zealand lamb was sacrificed by jubiliant Pakistan supporters at Derby last week.