Derbyshire v Hampshire Championship Match

After examining the match data and questioning both umpires and both captains at length, the ECB Cricket Department has concluded that the game of cricket was not 'brought into disrepute'. As a result, no action will be taken against either side.

The umpires reported that they were happy with the conduct of the captains and teams throughout the game and the ECB is keen to emphasise that the reputations of the captains should remain untarnished by the events of the match.

The onset of the two-division format has had the desired effect in making the PPP healthcare County Championship intensely competitive. The tension is at its greatest in the final round of matches when teams are aware of the points requirements to achieve their goals.

The Board will be giving consideration to the appointment of match referees for key matches in the final round and to other suggested measures to help prevent the integrity of the competition being called into question.

As far as the Derbyshire v Hampshire match is concerned, both captains were quite open about the fact that at lunchtime on the third day they had reached an agreement that Derbyshire would chase 285 runs in four sessions.

Whilst this was a relatively early stage of the match to be reaching such an agreement, the decision was influenced by the fact that the weather forecast was poor, with the prospect of a significant amount of play being lost.

Both sides were desperately keen for the victory, with Hampshire aiming to secure a Division One place and Derbyshire to secure prize money for a top-four finish.

The 'feeding' of runs to assist in the setting of targets has become an accepted practice over the years in Championship cricket, albeit less prevalent in the four-day game, and the afternoon session of the third day set up a highly competitive and exhilarating final three sessions of play.

In some quarters of the media, it has been suggested that before lunch on the third day Hampshire had consciously 'assisted' Derbyshire in their quest for the two batting points that secured their First Division status.

Hampshire strenuously deny this suggestion and the umpires have confirmed that the cricket in this passage of play was competitive. All but two overs in the session were bowled by 'frontline' bowlers.