The Hampshire chairman Rod Bransgrove has risked annoying Durham further following their relegation into Division Two of the County Championship by suggesting his own county’s hopes of hosting an Ashes Test have been boosted by the Riverside also losing its Test status.
Durham were relegated as part of a package of punishments including their ground losing the right to host Tests and a 48-point penalty at the start of next season. Hampshire, who were due to be relegated after a disappointing season, were instead spared, with Durham replacing them in Division Two. Now their chairman is hoping to capitalise on there being fewer counties in the hunt for Test matches. “With one less ground, you could say that the competition won’t be quite as tough,” Bransgrove told BBC Sport.
Hampshire have never hosted an Ashes Test, though Durham staged one in 2013. “I’ve always felt that we’ve been more than unlucky in the allocation of international cricket in the past,” said Bransgrove. “[The Ageas Bowl] is an amazing venue and everyone who visits here says so.”
Before the details of Durham’s punishment were revealed, Bransgrove said he was sympathetic to their plight but also called for them to be relegated and Hampshire to stay up. “Those of us who were playing Durham while they were being propped up were probably being put at a disadvantage due to their supported status, and relegation probably is the right move for them,” he said.
“I don’t have any bad feelings towards any of the other grounds at all,” he added. “Everyone is trying to do the same as what we’re trying to do here, which is the best we can with our ground.”
