Leicestershire charged over Grace Road pitch
Grace Road has been Leicestershire's permanent home since 1946
- Published
Leicestershire have been charged with breaching the England and Wales Cricket Board's (ECB) pitch regulations following their County Championship victory over Glamorgan.
The Cricket Regulator carried out an investigation after match officials reported the Uptonsteel Grace Road pitch following Leicestershire's 42-run win from 20-23 August.
In a statement, the Foxes said they "strongly dispute the allegations".
The surface had come under scrutiny during the Division One match, with Glamorgan bowled out for 214 chasing 257 on the final day.
Match referee Ian Ramage requested an inspection from the ECB's pitch and grounds advisor Andy Mackay after the match, with Glamorgan head coach Richard Dawson describing conditions as "challenging for the batters".
"The ball seamed from ball one, and went up and down," Dawson said.
"People got hit, Ben Kellaway got two dismissals in the game that were completely out of his control."
Leicestershire head coach Alfonso Thomas defended the surface after the match, saying it had been prepared in the same way as the pitch used against Yorkshire - a game the Foxes won by an innings and 39 runs in June - although he acknowledged it was "a bit drier than it could have been".
The victory was significant for Leicestershire on the field, giving them back-to-back Championship wins after failing to win any of their opening seven matches in their first season back in Division One following a 23-year absence.
The Cricket Regulator has now referred the case to the independent Cricket Discipline Panel for adjudication and said it would make no further comment while proceedings are ongoing.
Leicestershire are second from bottom of the table with three games remaining, seven points behind Yorkshire directly above them, and within 11 points of three other sides in the battle to avoid relegation.
