Graveney accused of fuelling compensation culture

David Graveney: 'I accept it was a tragic accident with no one to blame' © Getty Images

David Graveney, England's chairman of selectors, has been critcised for his decision to try and sue Colston's Collegiate School in Bristol over an injury his son suffered in a cricket accident.

Graveney's son, Adam, was struck in the face during a net session at the school four years ago and, sadly, was left with only 10 per cent vision in his right eye. Graveney subsequently launched a negligence claim against the school and two of his son's schoolmates, arguing that Adam had been standing inside the net when the ball was hit by a batsman. A report in The Times states that Graveney's solicitors wrote to the two boys telling them that their "duty included the obligation to observe the recognised safety rules. You failed in this duty."

The case was dropped when it emerged that Graveney's son was actually outside the net, and he finally agreed a settlement of around £7000 from his son's insurers. But he now stands accused of encouraging the litigation culture which is threatening to undermine so many areas of sport in the UK.

One of the boys' fathers, Colin Sextone, criticised Graveney's action. "This was an accident, albeit a very sad one'" he told The Times. "You would have thought the chairman of the England selectors might have recognised that before embarking on a course of action that smacked of desperation." "The reason their action failed is because there was no negligence. All the evidence which they asked to be supplied for their case indicated that. Yet still they pressed ahead."

Nick Seaton, the chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, told the newspaper that Graveney's actions were typical of the "culture [which] undermines the future of sport because schools are afraid someone's going to get sued."

Graveney defended his decision to seek legal recourse. "I accept it was a tragic accident with no one to blame," he said. "But similar to injuries after a car accident, you have to examine all the provisions for the cover the school might hold."