Leicestershire say their County Championship survival bid is not over after the Cricket Discipline Panel reduced their pitch sanction by eight points, removing an additional deduction applied for the uneven surface used in their August home victory over Glamorgan.The club was originally hit with a 27-point penalty following referee Ian Ramage’s match report, which cited 43 instances of uneven bounce during Grace Road’s 42-run win on August 20-23. Under County Championship playing condition 16.2.6, Leicestershire had its 19 match points forfeited, with the CDP adding a further eight-point deduction.In a later hearing, the Cricket Regulator acknowledged that the initial tribunal had not properly considered the consequences of its ruling. It also accepted that it did not have the jurisdiction or authority to alter the automatic application of the playing condition, even though its first investigation had recommended the extra eight-point penalty.Leicestershire’s narrow hopes of staying in the top tier appeared to have ended after an innings-and-79-run defeat to Warwickshire, the 2026 champions, at Edgbaston on Saturday.That result left Essex 25 points clear in eighth place, on 136 to 111. Essex had also looked destined for a sixth loss in eight games before rain halted their match against Glamorgan at Cardiff on the final day on Sunday.Although the CDP amended its original decision and removed the additional eight-point penalty imposed on September 15, the adjustment still does not close the gap to Essex.“In the interests of fairness and transparency, the Cricket Regulator raised this issue with the CDP and Leicestershire CCC,” a statement said. “The CDP has now considered this issue and adjusted their decision on the sanction accordingly.”Emma White, Leicestershire’s chief executive, said the club will continue to challenge the sanction. She confirmed the club has instructed Craig Harris and Oliver Laurence of Periculum Sport to represent it through the appeal process, after initially defending itself without legal representation.“The Panel made clear that the latest hearing and Amended Decision, which relates to the sanction alone, were not appeal proceedings,” White said.“Our position on the charge is therefore unchanged. We continue to believe it should not have been upheld, and that we ought not to have suffered the points deduction we have. We therefore still intend to appeal, focusing upon the process and resultant evidential position upon which the Panel was caused to decide the case.”The Cricket Regulator confirmed that the appeal window remains open.
