HAMPSHIRE chairman Rod Bransgrove has hit out at the England and Wales Cricket Board for allowing Worcestershire's Championship match against Kent to be replayed at New Road later this month.

The flooding of New Road at the end of the wettest June on record meant Worcestershire lost out on £170,000 during the Twenty20 Cup.

Worcestershire then took the decision to play a Championship match against Kent there last week, even though the ground was unfit, so the groundstaff could do everything possible to get it ready for last night's Pro40 opener against the Hampshire Hawks.

But the Kent match was abandoned without a ball bowled and last night's Sky-televised match against the Hawks, which was abandoned because of rain, had to be switched to Derby.

That cost Worcestershire an additional £80,000 but they have been awarded an ECB grant of £75,000 to help with the restoration of New Road as well as the chance to replay their Championship match against Kent from July 30.

Bransgrove believes it sets a dangerous precedent, especially as Worcestershire are involved in a relegation battle at the bottom of the Championship's first division.

He said: "It's an unfortuanate situation but it's opened up a massive can of worms. They're trying to give Kent the chance to get some points that they've missed out on through no fault of their own but replaying the game would breach the integrity of the sport.

"When an unfit pitch is prepared there is usually a fine or a points deduction or both but instead the perpetrators have been rewarded not only with a grant but with another fixture that could give them points that sends another county into the second division."

Worcestershire chief executive Mark Newton has said the county cannot get adequate insurance because New Road is on a flood plain adjacent to the River Severn.

But Bransgrove has little sympathy as Worcestershire had the option to switch the Kent match to Beckenham or Kidderminster.

He added: "I love New Road but there should have been a contingency plan in place.

"Mark Newton said he took the decision to play Kent to ensure the game against us was protected but I don't believe you can do that.

"Counties are commercial organisations but the business of cricket is dependent on the integrity of the game."

Martyn Moxon, the director of cricket at Championship leaders Yorkshire, was the first to voice displeasure at the ECB's decision.

He said: "We've lost half of our last two Championship games to rain. Do we get the chance to replay those two days in both those games?

"We've had to suffer the consequences of the weather. How are we going to claw back the lost time we've had?

"It's so tight in the Championship - every point counts. The ECB should have punished Worcestershire, not the rest of us."

Bransgrove has revealed there are other complainants.

"Most of the counties, if not all, are making their views known to the ECB as we speak and there's a large-scale petition being submitted setting out our position," he said.

"I'd like to think the board are mature enough to recognise on this occasion that they've made an error and have the strength and fortitude to rectify it. If they do it will be a sign of strength. I certainly hope they do."

It is not completely without precedent for an 'abandoned' championship game to be rescheduled. Two games in 1910 (Surrey v Leicestershire and Lancashire v Warwickshire)were 'abandoned' due to the death of King Edward VII. Both were subsequently rescheduled for later in the season.

Yorkshire also appear to be suffering from a short memory. They benefited from the ECB's flexibility in 2002 when the semi-final of the C&G Trophy stretched over four days. Neither side wanted to see that game settled by a bowl-out or the toss of a coin, so asked the ECB for extra time to settle it on the pitch.