Leicestershire’s 27-point deduction for breaching pitch regulations in August's win over Glamorgan has been reduced to 19. The Foxes were relegated from Division One of the County Championship last week following an innings defeat by champions Warwickshire. Leicestershire's groundsman Callum Lewin had argued filming of an unscheduled Bollywood film - believed to be for a biopic of former India captain Sourav Ganguly - had taken place at the ground four days before the Glamorgan fixture between August 20-23, preventing the pitch from being covered for eight hours in bright sunshine and heatwave temperatures.
The Cricket Discipline Panel (CDP) upheld the charge against Leicestershire for a breach of the ECB's Pitch Regulations. It imposed an immediate eight-point deduction from the County Championship plus the 19 points Leicestershire earned from winning the match by 42 runs. A further eight-point deduction was also suspended until the end of the 2027 season and a £5,000 fine.
Leicestershire confirmed last Thursday that they would appeal against the original sanction. Following the CDP holding a further hearing last Wednesday, the sanction has been amended with Leicestershire having eight points reinstated. Leicestershire chief executive Emma White said in a statement: "The (CDP) Panel made clear that the latest hearing and Amended Decision, which relates to the sanction alone, were not appeal proceedings.
"Our position on the charge is therefore unchanged. We continue to believe it should not have been upheld, and that we ought not to have suffered the points deduction we have. We therefore still intend to appeal, focusing upon the process and resultant evidential position upon which the Panel was caused to decide the case.
"Our recently instructed counsel, Craig Harris, and Oliver Laurence of Periculum Sport shall continue to act for the Club throughout the appeal process. "As we are now engaged in that process, it would not be appropriate for the club to comment further at this stage. I would again ask all supporters to do the same, and to treat everyone involved, including players and staff from other counties, and those administering this process, with courtesy and respect, both at the ground and online." The amended decision adjusts Leicestershire's points tally in Division One to 119, 17 behind third-from-bottom Essex.
A wholly successful appeal would lift Leicestershire out of the relegation zone and above Essex.
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