DURHAM yesterday issued a short statement denying that they knew as early as May that they were to be relegated.

The extraordinary allegation, supposedly made by ECB personnel at a meeting with Kent, was reported in The Times.

The October 6 meeting was held in response to Kent's threat to take legal action over the decision to deny them the division one place which has been snatched away from Durham.

Hampshire were reprieved instead and a letter from Kent's lawyers says the decision is “prejudicial, perverse and contrary to natural justice.” It also suggests the ECB is in breach of contract.

The letter is also said to point out the absence of any published regulations covering this sort of incidence, although the ECB claim it was sufficient to tell counties that two would be relegated and one promoted.

Whether the law will see it that way will be very interesting if, indeed, a costly case ensues. But whatever happens the ECB have landed themselves in a pickle under the chairmanship of Colin Graves.

The former Costcutter boss set up a family trust to underwrite Yorkshire's debts, which are around three times those of Durham.

Without Graves's support Yorkshire would have gone bankrupt some time ago, as would Hampshire without their benefactor, Rod Bransgrove, who led the way in calling for Durham to be relegated.

There are bound to be suspicions that Bransgrove has influence with the ECB, and those suspicions will be as strong in Kent as in Durham.