CDC penalises Notts CCC for breach of new bat regulation in 2nd XI fixture

Nottinghamshire CCC have been deducted 1 point in the Second XI Trophy with a further suspended penalty of half the available match points in any competition.

The club pleaded guilty to a charge that one of their players, Solomon Budinger, used a bat which did not meet the requirements of Law 5 of The Laws of Cricket 2017 Code relating to bat sizes during a Second XI Trophy match between Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire on 21^st May 2018. The player was not charged individually in this case as he is not a registered cricketer, though eligible to play 2^nd XI cricket.

The penalty was agreed with the CDC under the summary process Regulations 5 and 6 of the CDC Regulations after the player’s bat had failed an in-game bat check by the umpires on the day of the match.

The suspended penalty will be applied if any Nottinghamshire player is in breach of this law in any competition within 12 months of the date of the match in addition to any sanction imposed for the proven subsequent offence.

The CDC note that breaches of this law are very serious offences and this had been made clear to all First-Class Counties since the instigation of the Law. They wish to re-iterate the importance of Counties ensuring that all players’ bats are compliant at all times, with particular care being needed for trialists.

However, they took into account that Nottinghamshire had made efforts to ensure their players complied with the new law but on this occasion had not checked this player’s bat prior to this match.

No financial penalty was imposed as the CDC recognised the efforts that Nottinghamshire had made, but they noted that in future cases a financial penalty in addition to points deduction may be appropriate where circumstances dictate.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

1.The Laws of Cricket 2017 Code came into effect on 1st October 2017 and have been integrated into the Regulations and Playing Conditions across 1st XI, 2nd XI and Kia Super League cricket for the first time this season.

2.Under Law 5.7, the blade of the bat shall not exceed the following dimensions: -

Width: 4.25 in / 10.8cm

Depth: 2.64 in / 6.7cm

Edges: 1.56 in / 4.0cm

Furthermore, it should also be able to pass through a bat gauge as described by MCC. The bat gauge is manufactured fractionally larger than the permitted size of the bat, to allow for permitted covering, such as an anti-scuff front. The gauge allows for the traditional slightly curved face of a bat resulting from the pressing process

3.ECB Umpires are equipped with MCC bat gauges to check the width, depth and thickness of bats off the field of play and on the field of play should they deem it necessary.

4.The Law will be applied in Premier League and Minor Counties cricket from 2019 and across the wider recreational game from 2020.

ENDS