Leicestershire face a direct return to division two of the county championship after they have been penalised 27 factors for producing a ‘poor’ pitch for the go to of Glamorgan final month – with an ‘unscheduled’ Bollywood filming occasion partly guilty.
The penalty consists of eight factors for the substandard floor, plus the 19 they collected for profitable the sport.
It additionally features a additional eight-point deduction suspended by a yr and a effective of £5,000, and leaves them dealing with a near-impossible process to keep away from relegation, having been promoted in 2025 after 22 years away from the highest flight.
The membership’s head groundsman, Callum Lewin, informed the Cricket Regulator – earlier than the CDP tribunal – that there had been ‘circumstances main as much as the sport that have been simply out of my management’.
‘We had an unscheduled Bollywood filming occasion 4 days earlier than (the match vs Glamorgan), and I wasn’t allowed to work on the pitch. I wasn’t allowed to cowl it or something,’ he mentioned.
The Bollywood occasion in query was the biopic of Indian cricket legend Sourav Ganguly, although Leicestershire insisted when approached by Day by day Mail Sport that it was scheduled and that groundsman Lewin merely misspoke.
Indian cricket legend Saurav Ganguly filmed his biopic on Leicestershire’s cricket pitch – and it has contributed to their 27-point sanction for a ‘poor’ enjoying floor
Leicestershire have been docked 27 factors for the unsatisfactory floor for the Glamorgan match
Two essential elements have been the Bollywood occasion, which happened at Grace Street 4 days earlier than the beginning of the match, and the new climate, which meant the pitch began dry. Head coach Alfonso Thomas admitted it had been ‘a bit drier than what we needed’, whereas his Glamorgan counterpart, Richard Dawson, mentioned it had been ‘powerful’ for batters. Leicestershire, who gained by 42 runs, made 151 and 257, and Glamorgan 251 and 214.
Leicestershire mentioned they ‘famous’ the choice by the unbiased Cricket Self-discipline Panel and have been ‘contemplating all accessible choices’. They’ve 10 days to enchantment.
Leicestershire may need misplaced eight extra factors had the Cricket Regulator deemed the pitch deliberate.
A part of their judgment learn: ‘The tribunal additionally takes into consideration Leicestershire’s full co-operation with the Cricket Regulator’s investigation, the truth that there was no intention to intentionally create a pitch with uneven bounce and the acute climate circumstances which do quantity to some mitigation. This was not a case of dishonest.’
However the quantity of uneven bounce through the sport left match referee Ian Ramage with little choice however to ask the ECB’s pitch and grounds advisor Andy Mackay to hold out an inspection after the match.
Leicestershire’s solely hope of survival is to win their ongoing sport towards Hampshire, then see off title hopefuls Warwickshire within the final spherical of matches, whereas hoping different outcomes go their means.
