Schofield disappointed at tribunal payout

Chris Schofield: won his case against Lancashire, but awarded just £7000 © Getty Images Enlarge

The former England legspinner Chris Schofield has expressed his disappointment after being awarded just £7000 compensation in an unfair-dismissal case against Lancashire.

Schofield, 26, was released at the end of the 2004 season and has been unable to find another club in the interim. He took his former employers to court, claiming that they had not followed the proper procedure before releasing him, and an employment tribunal last month ruled in his favour.

The size of this payout, however, has not gone down well with Schofield, who played two Tests against Zimbabwe in 2000 and was one of the first recipients of an England central contract. "I thought it could have been a bit more," he told BBC Sport. "I've had six months of hell and it's been very frustrating."

Lancashire were also disappointed by the ruling, because it had been decided that their coach, Mike Watkinson, had not dismissed Schofield unfairly. "I felt sorry for the tribunal because this was about cricket and it was clear there were certain things that weren't understood properly," said Jim Cumbes, Lancashire's chief executive. "It's just very sad that we have spent four days in court when we are talking about cricket here."

Since the claims for unfair dismissal by Leicestershire's Carl Crowe and Neil Burns in 2002, an appraisal system has been introduced into county cricket to ensure that players are kept aware of their progress and requirements.

Richard Bevan, the chief executive of the Professional Cricketers' Association, added that all counties would have to take this ruling into account in future. "What has come out from this is that sport, not just cricket, is not above employment law," he said. "That was very clearly laid down."

Cumbes, however, concluded that there would have to be a cooling-off period between Lancashire and the PCA, which he wished had not chosen to pursue the matter. "They have admitted we are a good employer and treat our players well," he said. "It gave us no pleasure at all to be critical of Chris in court."