Sussex have vowed to learn lessons after escaping punishment for the quality of the Hove pitch during their recent Championship clash with Warwickshire.
Umpires Russell Evans and Michael Gough rated the pitch as “poor” after witnessing 39 wickets fall in just over seven sessions.
However, an ECB Cricket Discipline Commission decided there were no grounds to deduct points from Sussex after studying reports from cricket liaison officer Tony Pigott and pitch consultant Chris Wood.
The ECB were satisfied that overhead conditions were a major factor in less than 800 runs being scored in the match and that Sussex had not intentionally produced a wicket to offer excessive seam movement and uneven bounce.
Sussex have welcomed the decision but accepted the need to keep improving the pitch at Hove after also experiencing difficulties in the Championship game against Middlesex and a 2nd XI match this season.
A statement said: “As a club we were extremely disappointed with the situation. We have invested over £250,000 in the last few years towards the improvement of our playing facilities at Hove.
“We have a commitment for continual improvement under the excellent guidance of our head groundsman (Andy Mackay) who we fully support. We will learn what we can from this issue, invest in any equipment necessary and do our utmost as always to prepare the best playing surface possible.”
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