Relegated Middlesex fail to have points deduction overturned by ECB

Middlesex have failed in their bid to overturn a two-point deduction that contributed to their relegation from Spec savers county championship Division One.

A two-point penalty was applied after Middlesex were penalised for their slow over rate following a game against Surrey which was abandoned after a crossbow bolt was fired on to the field of play.

The England and Wales Cricket Board agreed those exceptional circumstances warranted an appeal – not usually possible for overrate offences – but the cricket discipline commission has upheld the penalty.

The decision will be welcomed by Somerset, who faced potential relegation in Middlesex’s place after finishing one point above them in the final standings, and had engaged legal counsel on the subject.

Disciplinary chief Tim O’gorman was not persuaded by Middlesex’s submission, which sought to show that the deficit would have been made up had the match been allowed to run its natural length.

He said: “Middlesex have sought to argue that it was only because of the abandonment of the game that they did not make up their overs but that cannot be entirely correct. There was no guarantee that, if the game had run its normal course those overs could ever have been made up.

“I do not accept that Middlesex only agreed to the abandonment of the match on condition that their slow over rate in the first innings would be overlooked.

“It is not within the power or gift of either the umpires or the players to make deals like that. The match was abandoned for safety reasons. Play ended accordingly and the points earned or deducted should stand with effect from that time.” ● Northamptonshire batting all-rounder Rob Keogh has put pen to paper on a new contract that will keep him at the county until the end of the 2019 season. The 25-year-old academy product made his debut for the club in 2010 and has registered 2,704 runs at 30.38 and taken 65 wickets.