Counties face penalties for unfit conditions

Counties that provide an unfit playing area for Championship matches will be docked eight points as part of four recommendations approved by the ECB to take effect from the 2008 season.

During the 2007 season Worcestershire attempted to stage their Championship match against Kent a matter of weeks after the New Road ground was flooded during the heavy summer rain. There was no play in the match, despite fine weather, as the outfield wasn't in a fit condition. Kent were angry that their campaign had been damaged and considered taking the matter to court.

Worcestershire did have the option to transfer the match to Kidderminster, but opted to stay at New Road to try and salvage a later televised one-day fixture. New Road was subsequently flooded again and no further cricket took place during the season. Although not brought in as a direct result of last season, the new ruling states that if the unfit conditions are "subsequent to actions within that county's control" then points can be docked.

The penalty will be two points for one-day competitions, which would be carried forward to the next season. As with penalties for poor pitches counties will have the right to appeal any points deductions.

Another of the significant moves is that umpires will no longer consult players before offering bad light. Level two of the fitness of conditions regulations, which covered unsuitable but not dangerous playing conditions, has been scrapped.

The ECB said the move "ensures that umpires alone consider all matters relating to ground, weather and light and base a decision on whether play should take place on whether there is obvious and foreseeable risk to the safety of any player or umpire so that it would be unreasonable or dangerous for play to take place."

The hours of play in the Friends Provident Trophy have also been amended. All games will now start at 12pm - except the Lord's final which retains a 10.45 start - and are scheduled to finish at 7.30. For matches in April the interval will be reduced from 45 to 30 minutes to ensure the match can finish in suitable light.

The automatic forfeiture of the first innings by both teams in Championship matches that have started with eight hours or less of play remaining has also been scrapped. However, captains will still have the choice to forfeit their first innings.