Leicestershire points deduction was partially revised after a disciplinary panel removed an immediate eight-point sanction, although a separate 19-point penalty imposed under the County Championship Playing Conditions remains unchanged while the appeal process continues.
In its amended decision, the panel said that in a 162-page bundle prepared by the Cricket Regulator ahead of the 12 September hearing, there was no mention of the County Championship playing conditions and specifically no reference to Playing Condition 16.2.6.
The panel reiterated its clear view that eight points was the appropriate deduction, and no more, for the breach under the Pitch Regulations.
Confirming the removal of the immediate eight-point sanction, the panel added that this was the limit of its powers, since both sides agreed it could not address the applicability of Playing Condition 16.2.6. The panel said that, if it had the authority, it would have reduced the overall points penalty to the eight points originally imposed under the Pitch Regulations.
Leicestershire points deduction and regulatory clarification
In a statement, the Cricket Regulator said that following the hearing on 11 September and the decision issued on 15 September, a question arose over whether the separate 19-point deduction under the Playing Conditions should have been considered by the panel when assessing proportionality for the Pitch Regulations sanction. The regulator said it raised this issue with the panel and Leicestershire in the interests of fairness and transparency. The panel then reconsidered the matter and adjusted its sanction accordingly.
The regulator said the amended decision only alters the sanction under the Pitch Regulations. It does not change the finding that the Pitch Regulations charge was upheld, and it does not affect the 19-point deduction imposed under the Playing Conditions.
Leicestershire chief executive Sean Jarvis, via a statement from director of cricket Claude Henderson’s predecessor, Sean White, on the club’s website, noted that the latest hearing and amended decision concerned the sanction alone and did not constitute appeal proceedings. The club’s position on the underlying charge is unchanged, and it continues to argue that the charge should not have been upheld and that points should not have been deducted.
Leicestershire said it still intends to appeal, focusing on the process and the evidential basis upon which the panel reached its decision.
Both the Cricket Regulator and Leicestershire stated they would not comment further while the appeal is ongoing, similar to other high-profile sporting disputes such as the reported FFP verdict involving Manchester City.