Gloucestershire has escaped disciplinary action following the abandonment of their Vitality County Championship Division Two match against Northamptonshire, which was halted on day one due to player safety concerns on a hybrid pitch.
The game, held in Bristol at the end of August, was called off after 65.1 overs when umpires Chris Watts and Sue Redfern suspended play. Both Ricardo Vasconcelos and Rob Keogh of Northamptonshire were forced to retire hurt after being struck on the hand by Gloucestershire pacer Ajeet Singh Dale, with Vasconcelos suffering a fractured finger.
As a result, Northamptonshire was awarded 11 points, while Gloucestershire received none. The umpires stated that continuing the match posed a foreseeable risk to the batters, making it unreasonable to carry on.
After a thorough investigation by the Cricket Regulator, which included interviews with match officials, captains, coaches, and ground staff, along with reviewing live footage and expert reports, no charges were brought against Gloucestershire. The Regulator acknowledged the umpires' decision to halt the game was correct given the uneven and dangerous bounce but found that Gloucestershire had made reasonable efforts to prepare the best pitch possible under the circumstances.
The Regulator, while not imposing any punishment, highlighted that Gloucestershire must ensure similar situations do not occur in the future. They also offered the support of a pitch advisor to help improve pitch conditions moving forward.
In their response, Gloucestershire accepted the Regulator's decision but expressed disappointment at the match abandonment. The club highlighted the reputational and financial losses they suffered, as well as the impact on their promotion hopes.
“Gloucestershire was severely impacted by the inability to compete for points, which hurt both our reputation and matchday revenue,” the club stated, adding that before the game, they were still in contention for promotion to Division One.
The club reiterated that their ground staff always aim to prepare balanced pitches, and the same hybrid surface had been rated "good" in a previous match against Middlesex earlier in the season. Gloucestershire expressed their willingness to engage in discussions with the Regulator to explore how the pitch could have performed better.