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Yorkshire could suffer fine over young arrival
YORKSHIRE have been plunged into another player registration row and reported to English cricket's governing body.
Six months after being eliminated from the Twenty20 Cup for failing to register teenage off-spinner Azeem Rafiq, Yorkshire are under fresh scrutiny over their signing of 22-year-old all-rounder Lee Hodgson from Surrey.
Surrey allege that Hodgson, who signed a two-year deal at Headingley Carnegie last month, was the subject of an illegal approach and have lodged an official complaint with the England and Wales Cricket Board.
Yorkshire have admitted breaching regulations which state clubs must give 28 days' written notice to a player's parent club before opening contract talks, but insist they did not realise those regulations applied because they thought Hodgson was a free agent.
The player was not under contract at The Oval when Yorkshire pounced but was still officially registered with the London club.
An ECB panel will discuss the matter later this month and could decide to fine Yorkshire.
Stewart Regan, Yorkshire's chief executive, last night insisted there was nothing underhand about the way the club had recruited Hodgson.
"We certainly haven't tried to tap the player up or anything like that, and as far as we were concerned he was a free agent," said Regan.
"We're obviously disappointed at being reported and we don't feel we've acted in an underhand way.
"Because the player was still registered to Surrey, we should have given them 28 days' notice, and we accept that's the stance we should have taken.
"But our understanding was that if the player wasn't under contract then that wasn't required, so now we are having to defend ourselves."
Surrey insist they were in contract discussions with Hodgson when Yorkshire unveiled him as their latest signing.
"We were negotiating with Lee about a contract when Yorkshire announced they had signed him before we knew they had made an approach," commented Surrey's chief executive, Paul Sheldon.
But Regan declared: "Our position is that the player was not under contract at Surrey and was playing there on a week-to-week basis.
"He was clearly looking around at new opportunities and we were approached by his agent to say that, given Lee is from Middlesbrough, he was very interested in coming to play for Yorkshire.
"We knew of him because he had played against our second XI and impressed our coaching staff.
"We waited until the end of the season when any week-to-week contract expired and then we spoke to the player.
"Martyn Moxon (Yorkshire's director of professional cricket) brought him up here and spoke to him at the beginning of October.
"As far as we were concerned, we were doing everything by the book.
"Unfortunately, according to Surrey, they felt that, as we hadn't given them any notice that we intended to sign the player, we were technically out of order, which is why we've been reported.
"We could be fined, but it will depend on the hearing."
Regan believes Surrey's complaint over a player who has made only one first-class appearance could have been fuelled by members' criticisms following a wretched season.
"Surrey have come in for a lot of criticism because they've got relegated and they've had to defend themselves why talented young players are leaving their county," he said.
"I think they're trying to defend their position because some people are wondering why a player such as Lee has left.
"But we maintain that we went about this matter in good faith and that there was no intentional wrong-doing. It's up to the ECB to decide what happens now."
Regan added Yorkshire were no closer to finalising whether Pakistan fast bowler Rana Naved-ul-Hasan would be returning to the club next summer.
Rana, who has a year left on his contract, put the club in an invidious position by joining the rebel Indian Cricket League, which means Yorkshire would be banned from taking part in the multi-million pound Twenty20 Champions League should he play in any first-team game next season.
"We're still at deadlock on the situation," said Regan. "We're still waiting to talk to the player and his agent in an effort to find the best way forward for all parties."
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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