Durham relegation

Serious questions need to be asked of the ECB following their mishandling of test match bidding in this country. Feel so sorry for a fantastic club and its loyal supporters. For Hampshire to benefit from this is a disgrace and they deserve every defeat coming their way next season.

The argument from the ECB is that Durham gained an unfair advantage through financing a stronger side than their real financial worth should have enabled.
One option was to expunge all their results from the various competitions since it seems they were being going to be relegated anyway. Totally impractical to have done this due to the format of the limited over competitions but the ECB could have applied this draconian punishment just to the first class championship. It is reported that opting for that course of action would have resulted in Somerset being champions.

That would have been a pretty hollow achievement for Somerset if that had happened. Relegation was surely the appropriate punishment, but it seems that the intention is to return Durham to the minor counties or oblivion. The points deficit they will take into Division 2 makes promotion very unlikely but it's the loss of test cricket which I find unforgivable. What income the club received from it at those times granted it by the ECB has been removed, prompting the odious chairman of Hants to quickly put in a claim for more of it at his soulless home.