Leicestershire appeal 27-point deduction for poor pitch — SkimNews
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- Leicestershire CCC confirmed they are appealing the 27-point deduction and £5,000 fine for breaching ECB Pitch Regulations during the August 20-23 County Championship match against Glamorgan.
- Groundsman Callum Lewin argued an unscheduled Bollywood film shoot — believed to be a biopic of former India captain Sourav Ganguly — took place at the ground four days before, preventing pitch coverage for eight hours in bright sunshine.
- The Cricket Discipline Panel dismissed the film-shoot argument as a mitigating factor ('only one day') but acknowledged Leicestershire did not intend the pitch to play unevenly and that this was 'not a case of cheating.'
- Match referee Ian Ramage logged 43 examples of uneven bounce in the match, which Leicestershire won by 42 runs on a pitch with a green middle (16mm grass) for seamers and bare ends (3mm) for spinners.
- Chief executive Emma White said it has instructed sports law barrister Craig Harris of Furnival Chambers to advise on the appeal, citing 'serious concerns about the process that resulted in the Panel's decision.'
- The Cricket Regulator stated each factor in the pitch's unusual preparation presented 'foreseeable risks that should have informed part of the planning and preparation process.'
- Leicestershire kept their Division One survival hopes alive with a five-wicket win over Hampshire, meaning the deducted points could prove pivotal in the relegation fight.
Why it matters: With Leicestershire scrapping for Division One survival, the 27-point deduction could directly determine whether they stay up — a successful appeal would restore vital points, while an upheld sanction would leave them with a razor-thin margin in the relegation race. The club's defense, that an outside Bollywood shoot kept the covers off for eight hours, also tests how far unscheduled third-party events can mitigate breaches of pitch regulations.
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