Australian cricketer Alex Hepburn has been found guilty of rape in a court in England as a woman accused him of sexual assault as part of a “sexual conquest competition” on WhatsApp.

The 23-year-old former Worcestershire all-rounder refused to accept the allegations initially, claiming that he had only consensual sex with the complainant. However, the woman stated that she thought it was Hepburn’s former county team-mate Joe Clarke in the dimly-lit apartment, who had left the bedroom after getting sick, leaving the woman asleep and alone. Hepburn stated that he had drunk up to 20 bottles of beer before the woman rolled over in bed, kissed him, and instigated what he believed was consensual sex.

The woman, who had her eyes closed, engaged in 20 minutes of physical activity with Hepburn before realizing who he was when she heard his voice. Hepburn and his Worcestershire teammates had allegedly set up a “sexual conquest game” in WhatsApp that kept count of the number of times the members had sexual intercourse with a new partner. The judge announced that a jail sentence was inevitable in the case as the pieces of evidence worked against Hepburn’s claims.

“I am adjourning your case for the preparation of a pre-sentence report. It would not be a kindness to you to leave you under any false impression as to the purpose of that report. There is only one sentence that can properly be handed down in this case, and a custodial sentence is inevitable,” the judge said. Hepburn’s sentence will be given at the Hereford crown court on April 30.