ECB names pitch liaison officers and match referees

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has named seven experts to act as Pitch Liaison Officers and Match Referees for the coming season.

The seven Pitch Liaison Officers (PLOs) / Match Referees are Mike Denness, Raman Subba Row, Alan Smith, Tony Brown, Peter Walker, Phil Sharpe and David Hughes. They will be backed-up by three Technical Advisors, who will give valuable support on pitch preparation issues when necessary: Chris Wood, ECB Pitches Consultant, Harry Brind and Tom Flintoft.

John Carr, Director of Cricket Operations at ECB, said, "We chose these people for their knowledge of cricket and their respect within the game. Their experience will enable them to act as either Pitch Liaison Officers or Match Referees, or both, when necessary. We have given them considerable powers but I hope that they will not need to use them during this busy season."

The introduction of Pitch Liaison Officers is an attempt to address the need to improve the quality of pitches in four-day PPP healthcare County Championship matches, a need which has also led to a change in the bonus point system.

Pitch Liaison Officers will be empowered to attend any First Class fixture and monitor pitch preparation and performance, liaising as necessary with the Head Groundsman, Chief Executive and Umpires. They will have the authority to convene a Pitch Panel which could then penalise Counties for the preparation of sub-standard surfaces by means of a sliding scale of point penalties.

For a 'poor' pitch there will be an immediate penalty of eight points and the penalty for any pitch deemed 'unfit' will be 20 points. The penalty for a subsequent 'poor' pitch within 12 months will be a further 12 points.

The destinations of the PLOs will be determined by the ECB Cricket Department in conjunction with Mike Denness, Chairman of the Pitches Advisory Group. It is expected that they will visit approximately half the Championship matches during the season.

As Match Referees, the experts will monitor any match in which the two teams involved could achieve their immediate goals through the result of the match. If it is determined that the conduct of one or both of the teams is unacceptable, then any points gained in the match, or matches if there was a cross competition agreement, by the team or teams in question will be declared to be null and void.

Note: Mike Denness, Raman Subba Row and Alan Smith have also been nominated by the ECB to act as its three ICC Match Referees.