Hampshire have been docked three factors for making ready a "below average" pitch for his or her County Championship match against Essex in July, a sport they misplaced inside three days as 506 runs have been scored for the lack of 34 wickets.

A Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) Panel prompt that the Arctic Monkeys live performance that came about on the Ageas Bowl the earlier month had a "considerable impact on the grass on the square" and famous a remark by Simon Lee, the pinnacle groundsman, which prompt that he had been instructed to organize a pitch providing "seam movement".

Wayne Noon, the match referee, marked the pitch as "below average", which was deemed a breach of pitch laws, except Hampshire may show that they "actively sought to prepare the best quality cricket pitch that [they] could for the match".

The CDC's report described Lee as "a highly competent groundsman of considerable integrity" however concluded: "The club has not demonstrated that it is more likely than not that, acting reasonably, it sought to prepare the best quality cricket pitch for the match."

Anthony McGrath, Essex's coach, mentioned instantly after the sport: "The pitch wasn't ideal. I don't think there was any intent there but it hasn't made it a fair battle between bat and ball. I don't want to criticise it strongly but anyone who was here knows it wasn't ideal for first-class cricket."

James Vince, Hampshire's captain, mentioned: "The pitch didn't play quite how we wanted it to or expected it to but it was the same for both teams… you needed a bit of luck on a pitch that was seaming around a bit, but in the end they coped with conditions better than we did."

Hampshire's title hopes have been ended final week when Surrey secured 21 factors of their win over Warwickshire however they'll nonetheless end second forward of Essex. They now sit 34 factors behind Essex, with the 2 counties due play one another at Chelmsford on September 19.

They have additionally fined £5000, and been handed a suspended 20-point penalty for the 2024 Championship season, which is able to solely turn into energetic in the event that they commit an extra breach of the pitch laws within the Championship earlier than the top of subsequent season.

Hampshire have 14 days through which to make an attraction and are anticipated to launch a membership assertion shortly.