Leicestershire hit with 27-point deduction for breaching pitch regulations
Leicestershire hit with 27-point deduction for breaching pitch regulations. Skip to content County Championship: Leicestershire hit with 27-point deduction and £5000 fine for breaching pitch regulations Leicestershire have been handed a 27-point deduction and £5000 fine for breaching pitch regulations in August; Watch England's second T20 vs Sri Lanka live on Sky Sports Cricket from 6pm on Thursday (6.
What happened
30pm first ball) Wednesday 16 September 2026 22:55, UK Image: Leicestershire County Cricket Club has been hit with a 27-point County Championship deduction Leicestershire County Cricket Club have been deducted 27 points and fined £5,000 for breaching pitch regulations in their victory over Glamorgan in August. Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Leicestershire were promoted as County Championship Division Two title winners last seasonPublished16 September 2026, 20:13 BSTUpdated 2 hours agoLeicestershire are on the brink of relegation from Division One of the County Championship after being deducted 27 points for breaching pitch regulations in their victory over Glamorgan in August.
The starting point for punishment for a pitch rated as "poor" is a 16-point deduction and this was reduced to eight points at the tribunal because of several mitigating factors. "Analysis: Foxes 'gutted' about points deductionAdam Whitty, BBC Radio LeicesterI doubt I am being controversial by saying the pitch against Glamorgan did not play as expected. They would argue a 27-point deduction is severe and would also question whether pitches that lead to high-scoring bore draws deserve similar treatment, as well as other low-scoring pitches.
In a statement on Wednesday, the club said: "The Club notes the Cricket Discipline Panel's decision, which imposes an eight-point deduction, an additional eight-point deduction suspended until the end of the 2027 season, and a financial penalty of £5000.
The wider picture
6, the 19 points earned in the match concerned will also be deducted from Leicestershire CCC's 2026 Rothesay County Championship total. Leicestershire's punishment consists of the loss of all 19 points earned in the win over Glamorgan, an extra eight-point penalty and a £5,000 fine. A further eight-point deduction has been suspended for a year. Just above the relegation places, the survival chances of both Glamorgan and Essex have been increased by Leicestershire's loss of points. County Championship Division One tableWhen Leicestershire beat Glamorgan on 23 August it was immediately clear they would be in for an anxious wait to discover if the way the pitch played would have consequences.
Leicestershire head coach Alfonso Thomas added the surface had been prepared in the same way as the pitch used against Yorkshire – a game the Foxes won by an innings and 39 runs in June – although he acknowledged it was "a bit drier than what we wanted" for the match against Glamorgan. Among them were Leicestershire's "early admission that the pitch was substandard" and this being the "first rating of below average, poor or unfit" in the previous 24 months.
A section of the judgement read: "The tribunal also takes into account Leicestershire's full co-operation with the Cricket Regulator's investigation, the fact that there was no intention to deliberately create a pitch with uneven bounce and the extreme weather conditions which do amount to some mitigation.
What has been reported
"Accordingly, the Club will lose 27 points overall. More from Cricket County Championship: Warwickshire seal two-day win over Essex to boost title hopes as Sam Hain stars Stuart Broad thinks Kevin Pietersen joining the England setup is a 'fantastic' appointment England vs Sri Lanka first T20: Best of Harry Brook vs Sri Lanka Stuart Broad fails to get attention of former team-mate Harry Brook during England vs Sri Lanka first T20 Is Harry Brook more talented than Kevin Pietersen?
The points penalty imposed by the independent Cricket Discipline Panel (CDP) midway through their penultimate match of the season meant the Foxes have dropped to the bottom of the table. In his interview with the Cricket Regulator before the tribunal hearing, Leicestershire's head groundsman Callum Lewin said there were "circumstances leading up to the game that were just out of my control". They included an "unscheduled Bollywood filming event" taking place at Uptonsteel Grace Road four days before the start of the match, while Lewin also referenced the exceptionally hot weather in the build-up as another possible reason for the pitch being dry.
The pitch was rated as "poor" in the match referee's report. The match officials, led by referee Ian Ramage, asked for the ECB's pitch and grounds advisor Andy Mackay to carry out an inspection after the game concluded. They went for a "mullet" – shorter grass at the ends of the pitch and longer in the middle – which they have tried this week against Hampshire, to little effect, and the match before the game in question, against Yorkshire, and there was no extreme movement or bounce.
What happens next
Leicestershire felt we had a good game, which went for four days and included two scores of 90 or more. With low scores around the country that week, they did not think this pitch warranted further punishment. However, the fact remains the club knew the rules before deciding on this pitch and it has cost them. Related topicsLeicestershireCricketCounty Cricket "Under ECB Rothesay County Championship Playing Condition 16. Latest Sky Sports deals or stream with no contract on NOWHarry Brook, Jos Buttler go berserk as England thrash Sri LankaListen to latest episode of the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast"Having received the Panel's decision, the Club is reviewing its position and considering all available options.
No further statement will be issued at this time.
The report has been compiled by The Daily Waves using information reported across skysports.com, bbc.co.uk. Details are presented according to the information available at the time of publication and may change as authorities, organisers or other relevant parties provide updates.