County News: 4 Point Suspended for Yorkshire

 

07/09

The independent Cricket Discipline Panel (CDP) has issued its sanctions decision in relation to Yorkshire County Cricket Club. Yorkshire were charged following a Cricket Regulator investigation into multiple breaches of the Player & Match Officials Area (PMOA) Regulations during a Metro Bank One Day Cup match against Northamptonshire on 8th August 2025.

Yorkshire admitted the charges in relation to breaches of article 7.4.4 of the PMOA Regulations.

CDP Chair Richard Whittam KC issued Yorkshire with a £1,000 fine and a suspended 4 point deduction for Metro Bank One Day Cup (or equivalent). The points deduction is suspended for 24 months and will be activated if Yorkshire breach any further PMOA Regulations.

Full findings

06/09

This is the same survey circulated by Northants a couple of weeks ago!

A little late in the day for asking for opinions now as stable doors and bolted horses spring to mind. 

With that in mind, I'm going to complete the survey. 

Trent Bridge says: We are dedicated to ensuring that the memberships we offer at Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club meet your expectations, are accessible and crucially, enable us to grow and diversify over time. We’re currently taking part in a game-wide review of the membership offering in England & Wales with the ECB, and want to ensure that everything we do aligns with our goal of growth whilst making cricket the most accessible sport in England & Wales. As such, we need your help. We would really appreciate it if you could take a couple of minutes to complete the short survey below. Your thoughts and opinions will help shape the future of our game and ensure we’re creating an experience that welcomes all fans. All responses will be aggregated and so we will not be able to identify you from your answers, unless you give us permission to contact you. By completing the survey, you will have the opportunity to be entered into a prize draw to win your two tickets to an England international of your choice in 2026 (not including the Women’s T20 World Cup). Thank you for your feedback.

05/09

Counties set to vote on reduced County Championship

GEORGE DOBELL: In an email sent to the counties yesterday (September 4), Mark McCafferty, the chair of the Professional Game Committee (PGC), set out the timeframe of next steps following recent discussions

The first-class counties are set to vote on whether to introduce a 13-game County Championship season before the end of September.

In an email sent to the counties yesterday (September 4), Mark McCafferty, the chair of the Professional Game Committee (PGC), outlined both the outcome of recent discussions over the schedule and the timeframe of next steps.

"It was very apparent from the discussions at the September 2 meeting that the Championship 1 version with 10 regular season matches plus three final series matches enjoyed the greatest support and that this should be the proposal that was taken forward," McCafferty wrote.

"As regards next steps, we believe that it's important to allow you time to discuss this revised proposal with your players, members and boards. We also need to take the revised proposal to the Professional Game Committee, which is scheduled to meet on Monday, September 8.

"Following that meeting, we will issue a final email and voting paper w/c Monday, September 15 that will allow all 18 PCCs to indicate their final preference."

The 13-match season would see 12 teams in the top division, but split across two conferences. The six teams in these conferences would play each other home and away (that's 10 games) before a split, which would then see the top three in each conference play one another to decide the Championship winner. The bottom three teams would be similarly engaged in a battle to avoid relegation.

Those behind the 13-match proposal argue that it is more about "revitalising" the Championship than cutting the fixture list. In particular, they argue that starting each season with 12 teams in with a chance of winning the title will increase interest, while the final few weeks of the season - destined to be dubbed 'the super sixes' - will see the top six in with a chance of silverware.

The bottom six from those top conferences will be similarly engaged in a battle to avoid relegation. The format's proposers hope this will mean fewer 'dead' games, promote the concept of 'the best v the best' and attract overseas players - including India overseas players - for a spell of high-quality, high-consequence first-class cricket. 

The teams in the bottom group of six would also play 13 games a season. In their case, however, the entire fixture list will be defined before the start of the season. Proposers hope that the prospect of two teams winning promotion each year will allay concerns over a rump of also-rans emerging at the bottom of the sport. 

As previously revealed by The Cricketer, this proposal would also see two extra group games added in the One Day Cup, meaning a guaranteed extra day of cricket for non-host counties during The Hundred. 

It is not clear, at this stage, if the vote will pass. Several counties have told their members they will not support any cut in the Championship schedule and, if the vote is not passed (it requires a two-thirds majority), the current 14-match season will remain in place. 

But proponents of the plan are increasingly confident. They believe they have 11 votes secured at this stage and believe there is scope for further persuasion at three or four other counties. It is hard to envisage Surrey, Somerset or Middlesex voting for the option.

The input of the PCA (the players' union) will also be crucial. They have made no secret of their desire to see a streamlined schedule in order to better protect their members and are thought likely to support this proposal.  

Should the vote pass, the structure will remain in place until the end of 2031 season, with a "formal review" after 2029 "in order to assess the success of any new format and to consider other material changes in the game".

02/09

County chiefs propose strike action as schedule impasse frustration grows

GEORGE DOBELL: It looks increasingly likely that the County Championship structure will remain the same in 2026, with no sign of consensus being reached on any meaningful change

County chief executives have urged the players' union to initiate strike action in an effort to break the impasse over proposed changes to the men's calendar.

With county chairs unable to reach agreement on proposed options for next season, the Professional Cricketers' Association (the PCA; the players' union) CEO, Daryl Mitchell, informed a meeting of county chairs at Lord's that three county CEOs had suggested the players should strike in a bid to push through change.

The PCA have been making the point for several months that the current schedule not only compromises the quality of cricket being played but potentially threatens player welfare. In particular, they have highlighted the injury risks incurred by back-to-back matches and the danger of late-night travel between games.

They have not, however, threatened strike action and do not appear to be considering it as an option, nor have they supported or themselves proposed taking such a stand.

The PCA's views are supported by about half the first-class counties who accept the current schedule does not optimise the quality of cricket and places players, ground staff and coaches under undue pressure.

But with those counties frustrated at the reluctance of other counties to accept the suggestion for a cut in the number of games, it appears some are attempting to increase the pressure on those unwilling to change.

As things stand, it is understood that Surrey, Middlesex, Yorkshire, Somerset, Kent, Derbyshire and Essex have said they are uncomfortable with a cut in the number of Championship fixtures. Gloucestershire, meanwhile, are prepared to accept a cut but do not like the current suggestion of a bottom division of just six teams.

That leaves those wanting a cut well short of the two-thirds majority required to make such a change.

There was no breakthrough in talks at Lord's on Thursday. There are plans for more talks, and a vote, in the weeks ahead. With the season almost complete, however, and counties currently uncertain whether promotion or relegation can be confirmed, it seems increasingly likely there will be no change to the current Championship structure for the 2026 season.

"This dream would never have become a reality": Making the case for the UCCE system

JOE POCKLINGTON highlights the success of the University Centre of Cricketing Excellence system and asks, with ECB university funding being redirected, what the future holds

Joe Pocklington | 15/01/2025 at 15:00

Jack Brooks and Chris Rushworth have a total of 1,200 first-class wickets between them but what unites the two other than their stelling careers? Both made their first-class debuts aged 23 or over (Brooks was 25), a testament to the late bloomer out there and the importance of giving people a chance.

Cricket is a peculiar game; its highly skilled nature lends itself to people emerging at various ages. What's more, with the men's English domestic game essentially consisting of just one professional tier, cricketers often find themselves needing to plan for life after playing, unable to fund later life through the earnings from their playing days.

Getting a degree is a good place to start. Therefore, it is important to highlight universities and the University Centre of Cricketing Excellence (UCCE) system – not least at a time when the ECB are reallocating funding to other areas of the talent pathway.

Historically, the options for those pursuing the professional game beyond the age of 18 were aplenty. These included the MCC Young Cricketers, the UCCE system with hubs across the country (Loughborough, Oxford, Cambridge, Cardiff, Durham, Leeds/Bradford) and the British Universities side, the best players from the aforementioned hubs, which played in the Second XI Championship and toured around the world in various tournaments.

While the Young Cricketers and British Universities sides are no more, Cambridge's UCCE status ended in 2022 when they declined further funding. Indeed, as mentioned above, the entire system is under threat.


This loss of two paths to professional cricket leads to an inequity. Unless a money tap is available, most cannot afford to pursue their professional ambitions into their 20s. Professional cricket should not just be an option for those who can afford to chase it. We all know cricket has accessibility and image problems – see the ICEC report – and this is one fix that can be resolved.

For balance, the void left by the Young Cricketers and British Universities has been filled with other initiatives such as SACA (South Asian Cricket Academy), the ACE Programme and increased investment into the National Counties Cricket Association (previously Minor Counties). Both have witnessed success, especially SACA, with numerous doors opened and professional contracts signed because of this greater equality of opportunity.

However, why are we content as a sport with the idea that we take with one hand and give with the other? That is, why does one pathway have to be sacrificed to make way for another? Shouldn't there be as many paths open to the professional game as possible?

Through private equity and satellite TV, the game has never been awash with so much capital. The latest TV deal struck by Sky Sports and the ECB is reported to be worth £880m to 2028. Clare Connor, who was Interim ECB chief executive at the time of the deal, lauded praise on the investment, saying the deal promised to make cricket "even more accessible over the coming years".

It seems sensible, then, to pair these ambitions of accessibility with a sustainable, wide-reaching and holistic talent pathway where the ability to both enjoy and succeed in the game is available to people of all backgrounds and ages. Given there's so much money flying around, you'd hope these ambitions are easily fulfilled.

"Alongside my training, I also had the chance to study economics and politics, further developing my professional skills which have served me well as I exited the game… [the degree] has therefore provided a vital part in my career progression"

Like many aspiring cricketers out there, I was told at 19 that there was no contract for me at Sussex and that I should go away, work at my game and return home in the summer to see if there were any second XI opportunities. Via a winter in Australia, I chose the University of Leeds and Leeds/Bradford UCCE to pursue these ambitions.

On the surface, three years in Leeds offered me some incredible memories: two fixtures at Headingley v Yorkshire in the annual county matches, three consecutive university finals, the most recent of which at Lord's, a tour to South Africa, the dismissal of Harry Brook (one for the grandkids) and friendships to last a lifetime.

Nevertheless, the magic of a system like this is not revealed in these highlights. It is in the personal development, the ability to pause, reflect and think about what you want from the game but also, crucially, to have an alternative plan ahead should those dreams not be realised.

From a cricketing perspective, let me return to my original point about Rushworth and Brooks. Not everyone can or will be good enough at 18 years old to receive a professional contract. People develop at different speeds; technically, emotionally and physically. The UCCE system is a brilliant option to hone one's craft whilst also getting a degree at some of the country's top universities. The standard is incredibly high, a reflection of the small gap to the professional game.

Upon arriving in Leeds I found myself surrounded by many who were close to the professional ranks and had similar experiences with their respective counties. Sharing these stories was cathartic for us all, gaining safety from knowing that you're not the only one to have come so close yet felt so far from achieving your dream.


The most powerful lessons you learn from a system like this are humility, independence and whether you really want it or not. When you're cast away from home, with all the temptations of socials available literally every single night of the week, the tendency to say university work is getting too much, you realise whether the game is for you. Additionally, from a cricketing perspective, away from all the coaches of your youth, you develop a deep, deep understanding of your own game. These are vital lessons for any cricketer and show the value of giving people the chance to develop beyond the age of 18.

It is important to underline that the system continues to produce many, many professionals. In the past three seasons, Michael Booth (Warwickshire), Ed Middleton (Gloucestershire), Will Smale, Asa Tribe (both Glamorgan), Chris Benjamin (Warwickshire and Kent), Hishaam Khan (Worcestershire) and Tom Hinley (Worcestershire) have emerged. Hinley, who in September signed a year-long contract at Worcestershire following impressive performances in the One-Day Cup, could not speak highly enough of the system:

"The UCCE system provided me with a professional-level platform to train and develop since being released [from Sussex in 2022] allowing me to make a return to the professional game this year. It should be seen as a route for players who haven't made it out of academies to still get the opportunity for high-level coaching and facilities. It should be seen as a viable and valuable option for getting into professional cricket."

Leeds/Bradford, too, has had a rich vein of talent come through its doors in years gone by: Nick Gubbins, Joe Leach, Ben Slater, Billy Root, Martin Andersson, Luis Reece, Josh de Caires and Toby Roland-Jones to name a few.

Taylor Cornall, the most recent to join this list following stints at Lancashire and Worcestershire, is full of praise for the system.


"As far as my cricket career goes, I owe everything to the UCCE system. It provided me a springboard to push on into the professional game. Upon first arriving at Leeds, I was an 18-year-old, who had only played two second-team games for Lancashire, I had never been in an academy or had regular access to first-class facilities.

"When I left four years later, I had played first-class cricket, scored a century against Yorkshire at Headingley, and had two clubs offering me professional contracts. Without access to first-class coaching and facilities, this dream would never have become a reality."

Cornall, who has since left the game after being released in 2023, underlines the value of having a degree to prepare for life without cricket.

"Alongside my training, I also had the chance to study Economics and Politics, further developing my professional skills which have served me well as I exited the game… [the degree] has therefore provided a vital part in my career progression," he added.

The value in having a backup plan was a sentiment Nat Bowley, formerly of Leicestershire and now Loughborough UCCE, felt strongly about.

"You see it often at the end of each year where lads are having to scramble for a backup plan because the game hasn't worked out the way they might've been expecting. I think that having a university degree gives a bit of peace of mind to players that they can be prepared for what their life may look like after cricket. On top of that, university gives you the chance to grow up and mature and the ability to take your mind off cricket."

Josh de Caires of Middlesex and formerly Leeds/Bradford, meanwhile, spoke about the game having a responsibility to ensure those who fall out the system are equipped to take on the working world.


"These days most people are getting degrees so if you're pushed to prioritise cricket but, for whatever reason, you have to leave the professional game earlier than expected but you don't have a degree, you're chasing your tail in the working world," he said.

Cornall speaks passionately about keeping talent in the system, arguing that counties should have stronger relationships with UCCEs.

"There is only a small percentage of players who are ready to go straight into first-class cricket at 18 years old. There must be a way to keep this talent in the game and allow players to continue showcasing their skills to the first-class counties…[the UCCE system] will provide further opportunities for players and allow clubs to create a continued pipeline of talent who may have not been ready at 18."

Whilst funding and a concentration of talent is likely to be a barrier to all counties having a partnered UCCE, the Loughborough set-up, with three counties – Leicester, Notts and Derby – all in close proximity shows that these clubs have significant talent under their nose. Greater integration between counties and UCCEs only likely to be a good thing for the country's talent pathway.

The chance to prepare for life after cricket and give opportunities at the highest level to those who haven't been afforded them before seems like the perfect balance. With private investment into the game looking like it won't slow down, finding a way to maintain UCCEs to ensure cricket does right by those who are so close yet, for the moment, not within the professional game, is vital.

In so doing, late bloomers are allowed the chance to develop at their own pace and ensure the list of names of those forging successful careers from their early to mid-20s grows longer. The careers of Rushworth and Brooks make the game a richer, more diverse place, and the UCCEs promise a continuation of this.

The joint experience of all those involved in this system is an entirely positive one, the ability to combine sporting and academic ambitions is perfectly aligned with ECB's ambitions for a sustainable, accessible and meritocratic talent pathway. As the cricket pie gets bigger, it's vital that this slice remains intact.

01/09

Just observations:

Neither of the Metro Bank Cup finalists beat Notts Outlaws in their Group A matches.

Both Hampshire and Worcestershire had an overseas bowler through-out the competition.

Hampshire in particular had a lot of their players made available from the franchise competition, compared to say Notts (partly due to fixture clashes with certain franchises that Notts players had been drafted to).

Form player of the season for Worcestershire appears to have had zero interest from the franchises.

Players of the tournament for Notts Outlaws finished the competition either injured or out of contract.

Wales’ most famous cricket ground is about to host its final match

Rain thwarted our correspondent’s attempt to play on the ground where Sir Garfield Sobers hit six sixes but he still bids a fond farewell

Syld Berry 30/08

Sunday is the 57th anniversary of Sir Garfield Sobers hitting six sixes in an over – and the last day that a cricket match will be played at St Helen’s in Swansea.

Cricket is always more festive, less dour or attritional, at a seaside ground and Sobers was in festive mood on the last day of August in 1968. Nottinghamshire, a county that had atrophied before the immediate registration of overseas players in 1968, were looking to hit out against Glamorgan and declare. Sobers, as their captain, hit out like no batsman before.

We can still savour the footage and feline grace of the most gifted of all cricketers. Of the first five sixes, off the left-arm spin of Malcolm Nash from round the wicket, Sobers pulls three leg side and straight-drives two. In these T20 days the second of them would have been swallowed by long-off, Roger Davis, but he falls back over the boundary.

Sobers was thinking that Nash would revert to his normal medium-pace for the final ball – in order to avoid immortal notoriety – and pitch it shorter. He coiled up like a leopard, aimed leg side and the ball disappeared down one of the terraced streets outside St Helen’s. Sobers declared; human perfection, of a kind, had been achieved.

Glamorgan have played first-team matches at the extraordinary number of 19 grounds but St Helen’s has hosted more of their first-class games than any other, 416. Yet Sunday will host the last cricket match there, after 150 years, when Swansea’s second XI play Pontardawe. Only one ground where England have played an international match has closed to cricket – Sheffield’s Bramall Lane, which staged an Ashes Test in 1902 and a Victory Test in 1945 – so St Helen’s will be the second.

Back in 1973, when one-day international cricket was beginning to take off, England took on New Zealand at St Helen’s. It was England’s fifth ODI and only the sixth worldwide. Different times – to the extent that when England chased a target of 159, Sir Geoffrey Boycott scored 20 off 88 balls, Dennis Amiss 100 off 121.

Swansea CC will move to a ground in Sketty while memories of famous contests at St Helen’s fade. It is the terracing which makes the ground a seaside amphitheatre, with the beach across the road. “St Helen’s has an atmosphere all its own,” Wisden declared at the end of the 1968 season. “It is infectious and all-embracing. It also inspires the players.” Glamorgan won the second of their three county championships the next season.

I attended the passing of Bramall Lane in 1973, although I did not dig up the turf at the end of the game as spectators were invited to do.

Earlier this week, I was picked to play at St Helen’s against Wales over-70s for Gloucestershire over-70s. The ground was built on a sandbank and by the start time of 1pm the outfield had dried after the overnight storms, but the square was sodden. “It’s the first rain we’ve had for months,” said Swansea’s secretary Chris Hamilton-Smith, looking out at the parched field.

I climbed the damp steps of terracing to the dressing-rooms: the away team is always given the smaller one. A decent chance I could have shared the same peg as Sir Garfield. Many of the old photographs in the pavilion are of rugby players, as Wales played 51 internationals here, with a crowd of 50,000 in 1930. The last game of rugby at St Helen’s, for the time being, was played in April. The Ospreys have been given permission by the council to renovate St Helen’s as a rugby stadium, but Welsh rugby and money are not synonymous; no sign of any diggers moving in next week.

A bracing wind came off Swansea Bay, from west to east, so that Sobers would have been hitting downwind. It had dried the outfield but the square remained soaked. I bowled a ball, off the square, and it turned, so the ground’s reputation as the place for spinners must be true.

At tea on the third and final day, the touring South Africans were 54 without loss, needing 148 for victory, back in 1951. They had already beaten Glamorgan at Cardiff, by an innings, so no shock was on the cards here. The difference was that St Helen’s was packed with a crowd of 25,000 – and these spectators made things happen.

Glamorgan had three briskish off-spinners, just the type for a ground on a sandbank. The South Africans lost all 10 wickets for 29 runs in less than an hour. Wilf Wooller – then Glamorgan’s captain, later the BBC commentator when Sobers hit his sixes, and a some-time Telegraph correspondent – was carried on shoulders from the field. Land of my Fathers was sung, and it was the only county game the South Africans lost on their whole tour.

Glamorgan beat the 1964 Australians here by 36 runs “amid tumultuous scenes by an excited and jubilant Welsh crowd” so Wisden recorded. “As soon as they reached the ground and saw the pitch they [the Australians] sensed it would be susceptible to spin.” You guess it might have resembled a photograph of the beach. “A crowd of 20,000 saw Glamorgan consolidate their advantage in a tense atmosphere one usually associates with a Welsh Rugby International.”

When they beat the Australians on their following tour in 1968 by 79 runs, again at St Helen’s, Glamorgan became the first county to defeat them on two consecutive tours. Again the home side’s recipe was spin bowling and close catching. “We held the catches that mattered,” said Glamorgan’s captain Tony Lewis, later to be the cricket and rugby correspondents of The Sunday Telegraph, “and it made the winning difference.”

In 1985 Matthew Maynard scored a dazzling century here on his Glamorgan debut – and I seem to remember him hitting Yorkshire’s spinners into the sea. Maynard could have been England’s Harry Brook had he batted in a less conformist era.

Glamorgan’s last game here was a one-dayer against Derbyshire in 2019. According to Hamilton-Smith, the ball was hit out of the ground 27 times – and the county did not want the expense of putting up netting, so that was it.

I took a last stroll around St Helen’s. At a stadium in Cardiff, Welsh Fire have been collecting the wooden spoon in the Hundred, both men and women. Had they played here, and picked a local finger-spinner or two, in front of a passionate crowd, there might have been signs of Welshness and fire.

Lancashire leadership on the precipice as county members crank up the pressure

GEORGE DOBELL: A series of SGMs are planned at several first-class counties amid discontent around the direction of travel and the process of determining the structure for next summer and beyond

Daniel Gidney is facing a vote of no confidence from a group of disgruntled Lancashire members who claim he is guilty of "misconduct".

The chief executive will face the vote at a Special General Meeting (SGM) on September 8, following an accusation he effectively "misled" members over the ongoing domestic review. This, the resolution alleges, "amount[s] to misconduct".

Specifically, it is alleged that Gidney told Lancashire members, who had previously been informed they would be given a binding vote on Lancashire's position in the negotiations, that the ECB had given the counties three options for the future schedule of the County Championship. All options outlined by the club featured 12 games a season.

The group of members insist this was a misrepresentation of the position at the time. They point to a leaked email, sent from Warwickshire chair Mark McCafferty (also chair of the Professional Game Committee), which suggests options for a 14-match season were also being discussed by counties.

"The requisitioning members believe this shows that the chief executive knowingly misled the members on both the choices put forward by the ECB and the timing for the final vote," the request for an SGM states.

"Member choice was wrongly restricted, and undue time pressure was put on members to vote before any objections could be made. The requisitioning members believe that these actions amount to misconduct on the part of the chief executive."

Gidney strenuously denies the allegations. He insists he acted in good faith and provided members with the most up-to-date information as it was received from the ECB.

Lancashire also point out they held three members' forums to discuss options and that, at the time, it did seem a 12-game option was most likely. The Cricketer understands the club is also exploring the option of defamation proceedings against some of those involved in organising the call for an SGM.

The resolution at the SGM is not binding but would be an embarrassment to Gidney, the longest serving male CEO around the first-class counties, and put the board in a difficult position. A simple majority is all that is required for the resolution to be passed.

"Our chief executive has our full and unequivocal support," a letter circulated to members from the Lancashire board states. "The board strongly urges all members to vote against the resolution."

The letter goes on to remind members that, when Gidney was appointed (at the end of 2012), the club had suffered three successive years of losses and was facing the possibility of bankruptcy. Revenue has grown to around £35m a year (from around £10m when he started) with the ground redevelopment bringing in a large amount of non-cricket related revenue.

"We are proud to be a member-led club and encourage all our members to have their say," a spokesperson for the club said.

"Lancashire Cricket is now investing record sums in the game after facing bankruptcy in 2012. This is why the board and coaching staff are opposing these motions, and ask members to join them."

The same group of members had previously called for a vote of no confidence in the club's chair, Andy Anson. But he stepped down after the club received notification of the call for the SGM - it appears he was likely to depart in three months anyway, but brought forward the date - so Gidney effectively became the subject of the requisitionists.

Lancashire is also facing an SGM on September 1. On that date, there is a call for a vote of no confidence in the nominations committee.

Meanwhile, the entire Nottinghamshire committee is facing a similar vote at an Extraordinary General Meeting on September 11. Two resolutions will be voted upon at the meeting, the first demanding that the club "oppose any proposal reducing the number of County Championship games" and the second the vote into each member of the club's general committee (GC).

"In the petitioning members' view, too many GC members have made little or no attempt…. to liaise with members before making decisions on our behalf," the outline of the resolution reads. "A consequence of this is the loss of trust in the GC and the club itself by the petitioning members."

It might be noted that the same person, Nick Evans, a member at both clubs, is the lead petitioner behind the call for SGMs at both Lancashire and Nottinghamshire. A petition for an SGM has also been presented at Essex, though no meeting has been scheduled at the time of reporting.

"The clubs could not be further apart in the way they have reacted," Evans told The Cricketer. "Notts could not have been more helpful in terms of arranging the meeting, communicating with the members and allowing them to make up our own minds. They've provided a model example of how to react in such circumstances.

"Lancashire have been far more resistant and even hostile. They've been very defensive, it feels like they've tried to thwart us at every opportunity. That's probably why we've ended up in this position."

In the longer term, The Cricketer understands the ECB, who have become frustrated by the difficulty in passing structural reforms, may seek to introduce governance changes to raise the threshold by which members can call SGMs.

In some cases, including both Notts and Lancs, only 100 signatures are required to call such a meeting. In Lancashire's case, that is fewer than two per cent of the voting membership, which is currently around 6,000.

At heart, the episode highlights the discontent from many county members around repeated attempts to cut the number of County Championship games played each season. Similar sentiment effectively blocked Andrew Strauss' plans to bring in changes a few years ago.

As things stand, it seems probable - though not certain - that the counties will vote on a proposal which would see the Championship schedule cut to 12 or 13 games (six teams contesting promotion, relegation and the championship title would play 13 matches) in the coming days.  If that proposal is rejected, the schedule will remain as it is now with 14 matches per team per season.