September County News: Hampshire Announce Dream Takeover

 

30/09

Hampshire Agree Indian Group's Takeover

Are Hampshire supporters so out of touch with everyone else?

27/09

Worcestershire County Cricket Club have received a suspended two-point T20 points deduction for the 2025 season from an independent panel of the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) after the club and batter Josh Cobb admitted a breach of ECB Directives 3.2 and 3.3 and agreed for the case to be determined pursuant to the Summary Procedure.

The charges related to Mr Cobb’s use of a bat which failed a bat-gauge test during Worcestershire’s Vitality T20 Blast game against Durham on 5 July 2024. Mr Cobb had not faced a delivery at the time the bat was tested.

The CDC Adjudicator originally imposed a two-point T20 points deduction for the 2025 season. Worcestershire appealed the CDC Adjudicator’s decision on sanction and the Cricket Regulator sought clarification on certain elements of the original decision of the CDC Adjudicator.

The CDC Adjudicator has now revised his decision so that the two-point deduction is suspended and will be imposed if Worcestershire commit a further breach of this nature.

The original judgment is available here and the revised judgment available here.

Interim Director of the Cricket Regulator Dave Lewis said: “I am pleased that we were able to work with Worcestershire CCC and the Cricket Discipline Commission and that the CDC adjudicator was able to reconsider their original decision in this case.

“We also note that this is the second oversized bat case this year, and the Cricket Regulator will be working with counties, players, and officials to inform them about the issue with a view to preventing a recurrence next season.”

The Cricket Regulator is the independent body which enforces the rules for domestic professional cricket as well as working to educate participants and prevent potential breaches. The Cricket Regulator investigates and prosecutes cases but does not decide on any penalties. The Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) is the independent adjudication body which hears cases, rules on responsibility for breaches of rules and issues penalties to teams and participants.

27/09

Fateh Singh made his first class debut today for Northamptonshire

25/09

Handscomb snaffles the prizes in absentia as Foxes follow Derbyshire with early shindig.

24/09

Equal Starting Salaries for Men and Women Players

Derbyshire navel gazing with Mickey Arthur

MA: "you can't win a game in a session, but you can lose a game in a session"

- surely the opposition would be winning a game "in a session" if you were losing it?

23/09

Congratulations to those that bent the rules and initiated a 20 over game with the 11:00 start. It's 14:20 and the really heavy persistant rain promised is still yet to arrive but conditions haven't been nice for either side.

Glamorgan ended up as the victors by 15 runs, Somerset's treble chasing season of just two weeks ago, now having lost all its wheels.

10:55

T20 Blast with a twist

Powerplay 1: Overs 1-4 Powerplay 2: Overs 5-16 Powerplay 3: Overs 17-20

Each bowler can bowl a maximum of 4 overs Each team gets two unsuccessful reviews One ball will be used per innings

Somerset to bowl first.

10:25

UPDATE: Toss delayed to 10.40. We will play a 20-over a side game to give the best possibility opportunity to get a result

Is this an outbreak of optimism, common sense or realisation that you can't defeat the weather? Will they play through the inevitable rain?

09:30

They've had the covers off at Trent Bridge...

08:30

The Metro Bank Final Day again. Never mind reserve day, I think we might need a reserve week.

I've seen no messages from Pravda telling the world that it's free entry today for anyone brave or daft enough to make the journey to the ground today. The Met Office reckon we're in the Amber Zone to be on the receiving end of up to a month's worth of rain today with any hour having a likelihood of 90% precipitation. Translated, that's raining all day. Where/when are they going to manage the mopping-up process and find two windows of opportunity to play two bursts of twenty overs?

To get a result in this game is going to need a high degree of flexibility and competition rule stretching to make that possible; that and a lot of luck with the elements.

In my patch of the Amber Zone, the morning drizzle has been stopped for the last twenty minutes, so...

22/09

FOLLY OF THE SCHEDULE

14:30

No chance of play today, so the reserve day option will kick in tomorrow. It's a shame the weather forecast is just as poor for tomorrow, if not worse than today's.

14:00 

If it is still raining at 14:33 BST, then play will be abandoned for the day due to the time it would take to mop up the outfield.

09:15

Trent Bridge's big showpiece, the Metro Bank Cup Final, would appear to be literally under a cloud this morning.

Social Media showed supporters arriving in Nottingham yesterday afternoon after making the long journey from south-west Wales and the West Country, but they would have been greeted with the most prolonged thunderstorm to hit the East Midlands for many a year that struck yesterday evening. Where I am, the storm lasted around three hours with the thunder and lightning and was followed with more prolonged heavy rain. We even had a brief power outage.

As with every cricket ground on the planet, its locals will say that it has its "own micro-climate", so Trent Bridge may have escaped the worst of it. However, it's raining again this morning and the Met Office have issued a yellow warning for rain in the West Bridgford locality today.

Is there a reserve day? That's one question not answered in Pravda's ticket-flog propaganda. Maybe there's something on the back of your ticket about it, so perhaps you could turn your phone over if you have an e-ticket... [a Luddite comment sorry] - PRAVDA UPDATE: MONDAY IS A RESERVE DAY

So fingers crossed for those traveling supporters that have made the journey and those that are making the journey this morning, that your time and money aren't wasted. The fabulous Trent Bridge drainage and the hardworking groundstaff will be getting a good test today, I would imagine. 

With twenty overs per side required to constitute a result, they will be very lucky get two windows of opportunity in today, but we will see.

21/09

You may have thought that there was another round of matches next week, but apparently nothing of consequence for Derbyshire who had their end of season shindig last night. 

So next week at Grace Road, even if there's a Derbyshire player that scores the two fastest centuries of the season, one in each innings, and even takes all ten Leicestershire wickets on the first morning, they won't even be crowned Championship player of the season because that title was bestowed to Wayne Madsen last night. Overall player of the season was Zak Chappell, who now seems to be thriving in that low key environment of the Chaddensden Retirement Home, where we're beginning to see what Mick Newell saw in another of Dean Headley's proteges when he signed the player for Notts ahead of the 2019 season and the nightmare that ensued for Zak. Congratulations on 2024 Zak.

20/09

Alex Hepburn Case outcome 

On 16 September the independent Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) suspended Alex Hepburn from playing for a period of 10 years.

Alex Hepburn was charged by the Cricket Regulator with two breaches of Directive 3.3 of the 2017 ECB Directives earlier this year. The first charge related to Mr Hepburn’s arrest and subsequent criminal conviction in April 2019, and the second charge related to his participation in an offensive WhatsApp group in 2017. At the relevant time, Mr Hepburn was a professional cricketer with Worcestershire CCC.

Mr Hepburn spent a period of time in prison, and the Cricket Regulator was able to serve him with notification of charge earlier this year.

Mr Hepburn failed to respond to the Charge Letter and related communication. As such, the CDC Panel reached its decision in his absence. Mr Hepburn has not appealed the CDC Panel’s decision.

For the first charge, relating to his criminal conviction, Mr Hepburn has been suspended from playing cricket for a period of 10 years, commencing on 30 October 2021. Further, before he is permitted to play, coach or undertake any cricket related activity which falls within the authority of the ECB in the future, he is required to undergo appropriate professional treatment for the issues which led to his criminal conviction (if appropriate with the involvement and oversight of the PCA) and to undertake appropriate training and education courses.

For the second charge, concerning his participation in an offensive WhatsApp group, Mr Hepburn has been suspended from playing for a period of 2 years (which is deemed served, having commenced on 30 October 2021).

The CDC Panel has published the full reasons for the suspension, which is available to view here.

On the BBC website

20/09

With Somerset being defeated by Lancashire, Surrey are again County Champions. Lifting the trophy in 2022, 2023 and 2024 means this group of Surrey players have etched their name into County Championship immortality.

They have become the first team since Yorkshire 56 years ago to win three titles in succession.

Surrey won seven in a row from 1952 to 1958 having also won the very first three, and five of the first six, in the 1890s.

But they are still 10 short of Yorkshire, who have won 33 in total

18/09

Historic Racism Fine for Essex

14/09

Lancashire CCC appear to be testing the water about bringing in a pay wall for Lancs TV see survey

12/09

12 September 2024

The Board of Directors and staff have become aware of specifically targeted and sustained online abuse and harassment. Leicestershire County Cricket Club does not tolerate any such abuse and has a zero-tolerance policy toward any sort of malice.

As a result of the online abuse, it has now been handed over to the Police.

Any individuals exhibiting any form of online abuse will be immediately banned from the Club.

Negative and malicious comments do not reflect the spirit of Leicestershire CCC or the values we fervently endorse as a Club. We encourage all fans to support the Club and its teams positively, and help create an environment conducive to success both on and off the pitch.

11/09

Essex County Cricket Club have received a 12-point County Championship points deduction from an independent panel of the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) after the club and batter Feroze Khushi admitted a breach of ECB Directives 3.2 and 3.3.
Essex appealed the CDC’s decision on sanction and that appeal has now been dismissed by a separate CDC Appeal Panel.
Mr Khushi used a bat which failed a bat-gauge test during Essex’s Vitality County Championship match against Nottinghamshire on 6 April 2024 and a number of subsequent tests thereafter.
The CDC imposed a 12-point deduction in the 2024 Vitality County Championship, with a further penalty, suspended for two years, of half the available match points (to include any available bonus points) in any competition. Mr Khushi was also issued with a reprimand. Those sanctions have been upheld by a CDC Appeal Panel.  Essex are apparently unhappy, claiming the bat gauge was the wrong size. The full judgement here

Gloucestershire get away with their dangerous wicket

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) referred concerns raised in the above County Championship match to the Cricket Regulator. The match commenced at Bristol on Thursday 29th August 2024, but was initially suspended and then abandoned by the umpires on day 1.

The Cricket Regulator has conducted a full investigation, interviewing the match officials, captains, coaches, and grounds staff. The Regulator has viewed live stream footage and benefitted from an expert technical report.

The Cricket Regulator was satisfied, as a result of those enquiries, that the bounce was significantly uneven and dangerous to the players. The Cricket Regulator therefore fully supports the decisions taken by the match officials to abandon the match in the circumstances with which they were presented.

However, the Cricket Regulator is satisfied that Gloucestershire CCC have demonstrated that they sought, acting reasonably, to prepare the best quality pitch that they could for the match they were staging.

As a result, no charges will be brought on this occasion.

The Cricket Regulator does however expect Gloucestershire CCC to take steps to prevent issues of this nature arising in the future. The pitch advisor who investigated the pitch at Bristol will offer to provide support to Gloucestershire CCC moving forward.

08/09

Petition to Remove Sean Jarvis and John Williams from LCCC

As a lifelong member of Leicestershire County Cricket Club, I have seen the ups and downs and fought alongside my fellow members and fans for the love of this grand old sport. It's with disappointment and frustration that I now write this petition, for the situation at our club has reached breaking point.

Given the mistrust and discontent surrounding the conduct of Sean Jarvis, the Club's CEO, and John Williams, the Commercial Director, we call for their immediate resignation or removal from their positions. Accusations weigh heavy against them for their role in severely damaging our club's reputation and ethos.

Their decisions have caused outrage and dissent among the fans and the broader cricket community. As members, we deserve leaders who respect and uphold the values of our cherished club, keeping us united and secure in the common love for this sport.

Therefore, we, the members and fans of Leicestershire County Cricket Club, demand that Jarvis and Williams either willingly step down or be removed from their respective positions.

Their positions are not just job titles but places of trust, and it is clear this trust has been broken. This call for change echoes the sentiment of thousands who feel let down and want to see a positive change in our club’s leadership. Join our cause. Sign this petition and make your voice heard. Demand that the Club reinstate the values on which it was built.

Here’s a summary of the evidence supporting my concerns:

Performance and Accountability: Despite being in charge for five years, Jarvis has often cited issues inherited from the previous regime. Your observation that things have worsened during his tenure could be a point of concern if progress is not evident.

Financial Losses: The club's significant financial losses, including a record £440K last year with projections exceeding £650K this year, indicate serious fiscal mismanagement that needs addressing.

Appointment of John Williams: The choice to appoint John Williams, despite his previous failures and questionable commercial acumen, raises concerns about whether the hiring process was adequately scrutinized and whether it reflects poorly on Jarvis’s decision-making.

Masterplan Expenditure: The expenditure on the Masterplan, while the club faces financial strain, questions whether the focus should be on long-term projects rather than addressing immediate financial issues. This also brings into question the justification for Jarvis’s high salary.

Membership Pricing and Strategy: Slashing ticket prices and then discussing the need to explore other options can appear inconsistent and confusing, especially if membership fees are being raised. This raises doubts about the strategic approach to attracting local support.

Payment Issues: If non-cricketing staff are not being paid while senior executives’ salaries remain intact, it reflects potential inequality and mismanagement.

Unnecessary Expenditure on things like Pods: The decision to spend on luxury pods and whether the Jarvis family is receiving discounts or special treatment when booking from the hospitality team along with forced use of specific services from his business may indicate a misuse of funds and conflicts of interest.

My concerns revolve around financial mismanagement, questionable appointments, inconsistent strategies, and possible conflicts of interest. These points could be used to argue for a change in leadership.

John S

07/09

Leicestershire Trial to Continue

Mr Jarvis seems to think casual watches will bother to watch his little county for a £4 fee [plus exchange rates convertion costs] when their Youtube algorithm will just recommend another stream for free. Is he just driving potential new interest in LCCC away? Are the results of this trial going to be published?

06/09

Kent Head Coach Matt Walker to leave at the end of the season, the club needing fresh ideas.

John Sadler "sacked" from Head Coach position at Northamptonshire

05/09

Leicestershire seek private investment

01/09

Kent and Essex at rumoured to be brokering a swap between 

Compton

and 

Browne