Leicestershire lose cricket appeal, confirming relegation

Leicestershire’s relegation from County Championship Division One is confirmed after an appeals panel upheld the loss of points earned against Glamorgan. Essex, who finished 17 points above Leicestershire, remain in the top division.

The decision ends more than five weeks of uncertainty and sends Leicestershire back down after promotion as 2025 Division Two champions. The panel upheld the finding that the club had failed to show it acted reasonably in preparing the pitch, which was rated poor and deemed substandard.

Why the match points were lost

Leicestershire beat Glamorgan by 42 runs at Uptonsteel Grace Road on 23 August, their second win of the season. The match had begun on 20 August. Immediately afterward, match officials requested an inspection by Andy Mackay, the England and Wales Cricket Board’s pitch and grounds adviser. Glamorgan head coach Richard Dawson had described the surface as “tough” for batters.

The Cricket Regulator brought a pitch regulations charge, which the independent Cricket Discipline Panel upheld in a written decision on 15 September after an initial hearing on 11 September. Under England and Wales Cricket Board playing condition 16.2.6, a home team receives no match points when its pitch is rated poor or below average and a charge is upheld. The board applied that rule separately from the panel’s disciplinary sanction.

The panel initially imposed an additional immediate 8-point penalty, a further 8-point deduction suspended until the end of the 2027 season, and a £5,000 fine. After the regulator asked whether the separate loss of match points had been considered when assessing a proportionate sanction, the panel held a further hearing on 23 September and removed the immediate penalty. The breach finding and loss of match points remained in place.

Evidence and preparation

The appeals panel said there appeared to have been a “woeful lack of understanding” of the regulations among those in charge at Leicestershire. It said senior executives should have been familiar with the rules or reminded themselves of them as circumstances required, but had not done so. It rejected fresh evidence from Tony Hemmings, the Pakistan Cricket Board’s chief curator, saying it had been reasonably available at the original hearing.

Leicestershire chief executive Emma White called the exclusion of the expert evidence “deeply frustrating” and said the club felt rushed and under considerable pressure throughout the process.

Head coach Alfonso Thomas said the pitch had been prepared in the same way as one used in a June win against Yorkshire, but was drier than intended. Head groundsman Callum Lewin told the regulator that circumstances outside his control included exceptionally hot weather and an unscheduled Bollywood filming event shortly before the match. Ground staff member Mark Smith called it “crazy” that the pitch was left uncovered for 13 hours during the filming arrangements.

White said the grounds team had her full support. Leicestershire will prepare for Division Two next season with the aim of returning to the top flight, she said.