County News: Phil Salt's "Fat" Bat Not Fat / "Undesirable individuals"

 

Cambridge University facing revolt over ‘mistreatment’ of iconic Fenner’s.
Tim Wigmore.
London Daily Telegraph.
Wednesday, 9 July 2025.
PTG 4893-23338.

The Cambridge cricket community is in revolt about the treatment of Fenner’s, the iconic first-class ground used by Cambridge University that has nurtured 21 Test match captains.  The ground, situated in the heart of Cambridge, has hosted 911 first-class games since the first in 1848 and developed cricketing greats including Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji, Gilbert Jessop, Ted Dexter and Michael Atherton. But the future of the ground is now in jeopardy.

A number of issues are involved including: The number of fixtures played there have declined dramatically, with under half of Cambridge University Cricket Club’s [CUCC] home fixtures played at Fenner’s this year; Players have criticised the pitch and facilities as substandard; Extortionate fees of £UK425 ($A885) plus VAT for a one-day match, have left local teams unable to afford to play at the ground; and there has been no full-time groundsman at Fenner’s since 2022.  Last year, a friendly between Cambridgeshire, the National County (second-tier) side, and Surrey was abandoned halfway through the match, with the umpires declaring that the pitch was unfit and dangerous to play on.

Concerns about the future of Fenner’s have intensified since land around the pitch was bought by Hughes Hall, a college at Cambridge University, last July. It has since announced plans to build new student accommodation on green Protected Open Space adjacent to the college and close to the ground.  Hughes Hall’s purchase of land by the ground is understood to have cost around £UK3 million ($A6.2 m), paid to the university’s Cricket and Athletic Club Limited, and there are fears that this money is not being spent on investing in the future of cricket at the ground.

In response to the Hall’s building plans, a petition organised by the Protect Fenner’s Action Group urging Hughes Hall not to redevelop on the site has so far attracted more than 4,000 signatures.  While no building on Fenner’s has yet been confirmed, this season Hughes Hall has made it more difficult for casual fans to watch cricket. Rather than being able to walk through the park to see games, as has been the case throughout the ground’s history, spectators must now sign in at the porter’s lodge at Hughes Hall. The measure is part of an attempt to curb “undesirable individuals” accessing the ground, CUCC explained in an email circulated before the season.

In practice, insiders believe that the new measures have deterred casual fans, who do not wish to sign in if they only intend to watch cricket for a few minutes, and contributed to a decline in spectator numbers.  “The gates are locked and Hughes Hall wants more land to turn the grounds into a private campus,” said Steve Platt, a CUCC member who has lived near the ground for over 50 years. “Fenner’s is being privatised by stealth”.

Opener's bat cleared, ECB ensuring ‘correct process’ is clear.
PTG Editor.
Wednesday, 9 2025.
PTG 4893-23334

Lancashire opener Phil Salt has had the bat he used in the T20 Blast match against Northamptonshire on Friday cleared by the Cricket Regulator's anti-corruption unit, says a BBC report. Salt was alleged to have breached England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Directives, but the club said it was the same bat he had used for the past two years for England, Lancashire and in the Indian Premier League (PTG 4890-23326, 6 July 2025). Tests carried out after the match were "deemed inconclusive despite the bat fitting through the gauge on several occasions", says the BBC (PTG 4891-23329, 7 July 2025), but it was eventually found to be compliant with regulations and no further action will be taken.

Lancashire said in a statement: "The club and player felt this should have been the end of the matter, but the officials felt it necessary for the bat to be taken away for further testing. At Lancashire, we believe this whole process could have been avoided with improved processes on and off the field, whether that be through better equipment and/or additional training. Following the incident there have been inappropriate comments made by match commentators, inaccurate articles written in the media and some unsavoury social media posts towards the player that could have been avoided”.

In response, the Cricket Regulator said it notes "that the match officials performed their roles fully in compliance with the regulations”. In addition the Regulator said they "acknowledge the cooperation provided by Lancashire and the player in this matter”. An ECB spokesperson is quoted by the BBC as saying: "We are working with all parties involved to ensure they are clear on the correct process for bat gauge testing”. However, precisely what that attributed comment means given that, in the Regulator’s words, the match officials actions were "fully in compliance with the regulations”, is not clear.

Traveller’s arrival sees Somerset ground closed ‘until further notice'.
PTG Editor.
Wednesday, 9 July 2025.
PTG 4893-23337.

A large group of Travellers arrived at the Taunton Vale ground in Somerset on Sunday and all cricket related activities there have been cancelled “until further notice”. Travellers is a term used in the United Kingdom to represent diverse ethnic groups, including Gypsies, which have a shared history of nomadism.  As a result of their visit, all fixtures scheduled for the ground will need to be rearranged or a new venue found, say local media reports.  

The group's cars towing caravans have been driven onto the ground, one report indicating there are tyre marks on part of the pitch.  Ground authorities are in the process of seeking a court order to serve an eviction notice to the group.  

Its not the first time Travellers have caused difficulties for cricket clubs, such issues occurring in Northumberland (PTG 3600-17787, 7 August 2021), Derbyshire (PTG 2539-12809, 13 August 2018), Essex more than once (PTG 2164-10981, 14 June 2017 and PTG 1123-5463, 13 June 2013), Surrey (PTG 1828-9150, 15 May 2016), Hertfordshire (PTG 1606-7804, 30 July 2015), and Lancashire (PTG 1150-5574, 18 July 2013). 

08/07

Lancashire Cricket can confirm that the bat used by Phil Salt during Friday evening’s match against Northants Steelbacks has been cleared by the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU), via the Cricket Regulator.

Salt was alleged to have breached ECB Directives 3.2 and 3.3, after his bat failed an on-field bat-gauge test during the Vitality Blast fixture. It is a bat that he has used for the last two years for England, Lancashire and in the IPL with no issue.

During the first over of Lancashire Lightning’s run chase, an umpire conducted an on-field bat gauge test, as part of an assurance process undertaken to check the sizes of a bat being used. To pass the test, the bat must fit through a gauge of the specified size.

Salt’s bat did not pass through the gauge on the field and was therefore deemed to have failed the test, and in further tests carried out after the match, it was deemed inconclusive despite the bat fitting through the gauge on several occasions. The Club and player felt this should have been the end of the matter, but the officials felt it necessary for the bat to be taken away for further testing.

At Lancashire, we believe this whole process could have been avoided with improved processes on and off the field, whether that be through better equipment and/or additional training. Following the incident there have been inappropriate comments made by match commentators, inaccurate articles written in the media and some unsavoury social media posts towards the player, that could have been avoided.

Following this evidential testing process undertaken by the Cricket Regulator, the bat was found to be compliant with the Regulations - and the Club and player have been informed that no further action will be taken.

Cricket Regulator says:

On 4th July, during the match between Northamptonshire and Lancashire, Phil Salt’s bat was subject to an on-field test, the bat did not pass this initial test.

Following standard practice the bat was then subject to a post-match test, the results of which were inconclusive.

On 7th July, the Cricket Regulator investigated the matter and found the bat to be compliant with the regulations. Accordingly no further action will be taken against the player or Lancashire in this matter.

The Cricket Regulator notes that the match officials performed their roles fully in compliance with the regulations, the Regulator also acknowledges the cooperation provided by Lancashire and the player in this matter.

So what does that mean?

Umpires Rob Bailey and Simon Widdup were doing their job correctly in their public gauging of the bat's legality, the CR says.

In private, away from public eyes and the TV cameras, the bat passes testing.

So were the umpires using the gauge incorrectly or was the on-field gauge of the wrong dimensions? 

The Cricket Regulator, again, failing to be clear and comprehensive about what has occurred in its statement.

KOOKABURRA MADNESS

You might have already read the ECB's and Rob Key's hopes following the Strauss Review with its recommendations to play rounds of championship cricket with the Kookaburra ball and the counties' move, this year to play those rounds in the driest months (allowing for the H*ndred hiatus obviously), if not read a reminder here...

... but one, probably foreseeable and not totally desireable, consequence has been the counties importing a maelstrom of overseas spinners on short term contracts for these Kookaburra rounds.

You can't blame the counties, looking to get one up on their rivals, but surely this defeats some of the objectives of the exercise in the first place.

This maelstrom of spin includes:

Todd Murphy (Glo), Yuzendra Chahal (Nor), Sai Kishore (Sur) and Corey Rocchiccioli (War) - there may be more.

In the two rounds of Kookaburra so far, the Notts trio of spinners have bowled:

Liam Patterson-White 134 overs

Calvin Harrison (for Northants on loan) 98.5 overs

Farhan Ahmed 74 overs

07/07

You may have notice another elite sporting eventing happening at the moment: Wimbledon.

Players throwing themselves around, running, jumping and stretching for three hours or much more. There's no hiding in the field for a rest as it's full on for the whole time. They have gaps between matches / rounds for the best players usually measured in hours and rarely more than one day between. That's the nature of a tournament. Yes there's injuries, but you are more prone in injury if you push body to your physical limits doing any activity for a long or short period of time. That's elite sport.