Middlesex have acted to prevent a company co-founded by the Australia opener Chris Rogers from selling hospitality packages to the Ashes Test at Lord’s.
The company, Inside Edge Experience, was set up by the batsman in May with a business partner, Tom Scollay – a former Middlesex team-mate, and was offering packages for up to £2,910 to the Test. However, Middlesex have said that the company did not have permission to sell the packages or use the club’s logo and that they were taking action to ensure Inside Edge would not receive any tickets for the sold-out match to sell on.
“There has been a bit of a misunderstanding, which led to tickets going on sale when they should not have,” the Middlesex chief executive, Vinny Codrington, told the Daily Telegraph. “We do not condone our tickets being sold on corporate websites. They have to be fully authorised. We have taken steps to rectify the matter and we will learn from it. In this case, too much enthusiasm and naivety has caused this difficulty. We will not be releasing the tickets.”
Rogers has declined to comment, but Cricket Australia has carried out its own investigation, with a spokeswoman saying: “Chris had declared his involvement with this company. We are satisfied all concerned set out with good intentions but there was a bit of a misunderstanding in the way they went about getting hold of the tickets.
“We were aware of his involvement in this tour company. We were not privy to the nuts and bolts of the business as it is a personal venture but we are confident that Chris acted in good faith. He was not trying to circumvent the rules or pull the wool over anyone’s eyes.”
