Hampshire docked points, face relegation battle having been fined £5,000 for “below average” pitch preparation.
Hampshire face Championship relegation battle after eight-point deduction.
After being fined eight points for preparing a “below average” surface for their May match against Sussex, Hampshire is fighting to stay in the top division of the County Championship this season.
After Thursday’s decision by the independent Cricket Discipline Panel (CPD), Hampshire, who are now playing Sussex in the rematch at Hove, dropped from fifth to eighth in the first division standings. With two more Championship rounds to go, they are currently only six points above of Durham in the relegation zone with a revised total of 124 points.
The game in question was played from May 23–25 at the Utilita Bowl. Jack Carson, the spinner for Sussex, achieved second-inning figures of 5 for 26 in ten overs as the team won by nine wickets. After a report from match referee Wayne Noon, match umpires Rob White and Tom Lungley, and an inquiry by the Cricket Regulator, Hampshire was charged on June 3 with violating the Pitch Regulations.
Hampshire’s violation of the pitch rules has resulted in an eight-point punishment as well as a £5000 fine. The CDC noted persistent bounce irregularities and high spin starting on day two in its complete ruling, which was assembled following a hearing on September 2.
In his match report, Hampshire’s captain Ben Brown said that he was “really disappointed” with the surface that head grounds manager Simon Lee had prepared, saying that “batting on it was a lottery”.
“We wanted a good batting wicket so that we could optimise batting points, but we also wanted a pitch that would bring our spinner, Liam Dawson, into the game, when foot holes became a factor,” Brown had added in his report.