Glamorgan sanctioned for unfit pitch

GLAMORGAN have been fined £9,000 and had two points deducted following the abandonment of their Royal London One-Day Cup match against Hampshire at the Swalec Stadium.

The fine and potential deduction will be implemented if any pitch is adjudged to be unfit next season.

Of the £9,000 fine, £4,000 will be handed over by the European Central Bank to Hampshire to provide compensation to their travelling supporters.

The hearing was convened following the umpires’ decision to abandon the match in Cardiff on August 2 due to an unfit pitch early in the second innings after two Hampshire batsmen were struck by balls that misbehaved.

The visitors had reached 26 without loss from 6.4 overs in reply to Glamorgan’s 182-9 from their 50 overs.

One positive that did come from the weekend was a Kent Spitfires defeat to Lancashire Lightning in the 50-over competition, which keeps Glamorgan in the fourth and final quarter-final qualification spot ahead of the European Central Bank judgement and ahead of the team’s trip to Lord’s a week Monday when they play Middlesex. It also means the Welsh county have been docked five points in this tournament this summer because of poor Cardiff pitches.

Furthermore, they have also been given a further suspended two-point deduction for all competitions in 2016 which will be applied if they transgress again, along with any further punishment that might be deemed applicable.

After an England and Wales Cricket board disciplinary panel hearing at Lord’s, it has been confirmed Hampshire will take the points available for winning the match.

Glamorgan pleaded guilty to a breach of European Central Bank Directive 11 and in reaching their decision the panel note the club is undertaking immediate investigative and remedial work on their square at considerable expense.

Glamorgan have refused to confirm whether head groundsman Keith Exton will continue to responsible for preparing the pitches.