New Delhi, Sep 11 (IANS): Gloucestershire escaped punishment for an alleged breach of pitch regulations following the abandonment of their Vitality County Championship Division Two match against Northamptonshire. The Cricket Regulator announced that no charges would be brought against the club, despite concerns over player safety on the hybrid pitch at the Seat Unique Stadium in Bristol.
The match, which took place at the end of August, was called off after just 65.1 overs on the first day. Umpires Chris Watts and Sue Redfern halted play in the final session, citing a "foreseeable risk" to batters due to the uneven and dangerous bounce of the pitch. Two Northamptonshire batters, Ricardo Vasconcelos and Rob Keogh, were forced to retire hurt after being struck by deliveries from Gloucestershire pacer Ajeet Singh Dale. Vasconcelos suffered a fractured finger.
The umpires' decision to abandon the game awarded Northamptonshire 11 points while Gloucestershire received none.
Following a full investigation, The Cricket Regulator concluded that the pitch had indeed been dangerous but acknowledged that Gloucestershire had acted reasonably in their efforts to prepare the best possible playing surface. The investigation involved interviews with match officials, captains, coaches, and groundstaff, as well as a review of live stream footage and expert technical reports.
"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," read the statement released on Wednesday.
However, the disciplinary body decided not to impose sanctions on Gloucestershire, noting that the club had followed its usual pitch preparation procedures. The Regulator did, however, issue a warning to Gloucestershire to prevent similar incidents in the future. A pitch advisor will now work with the club to provide further support.
In response, Gloucestershire expressed their disappointment over the match officials’ decision to abandon the game, stating that the outcome had damaged the club both reputationally and financially. The club was also left frustrated, as the loss of points derailed their promotion push to Division One.
"The Club has been significantly punished by the inability to compete for points in the match, suffering reputational damage and loss of matchday earnings in the process. Prior to the match, we still retained hopes of challenging for promotion to Division One," said Gloucestershire in their statement.
The club emphasised that their groundstaff had followed the same pitch preparation routine as they had for a previous County Championship match against Middlesex, which had been rated as a "good" surface.
While Gloucestershire accepted The Regulator's decision, they looked forward to a constructive dialogue on improving pitch performance in the future, in line with the recommendations provided.