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Supporters are the ultimate losers in Twenty20 registration calamity

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Due to an administrative error, supporters have been let down, clubs have been messed about and a highly-rated youngster has hit the headlines for the wrong reasons. Frank Gregan doesn't believe it.

The four teams who will take part in the Twenty20 Cup finals day are still not decided due to the expulsion of Yorkshire which has led to a delay in the last quarter final being played. Yorkshire appealed the decision but to no avail.

The problem was that Yorkshire played 17-year-old Azeem Rafiq in a group game against Nottinghamshire. The issue came to light just before their quarter final against Durham which was postponed even though Durham had sold 6000 tickets and those ticket holders were either occupying or taking their seats.

Everybody seems to have a gripe with the issue. Yorkshire feel hard done by and that their punishment is not commensurate with the crime, Rafiq's contribution to the Notts game was minimal, bowling 2 overs for 18 in a game they won by nine wickets. They had argued that a precedent had already been established when Worcestershire and Gloucestershire were ordered to replay a game when a similar infringement had taken place.

Nottinghamshire were delighted with the reprieve and looking forward to a quarterfinal at the Riverside whilst Glamorgan had argued that the initial game between Notts and Yorks should be annulled and that they should take their place in the quarter final as one of the best third placed teams. A version of that scenario was the outcome of the appeal hearing meaning that Notts are now out and Glamorgan are back in. Confusing? You bet.

Registration mistakes are the curse of every sporting secretary and chief executive. From the outside they appear to be a classic amateur error. They are much more common than you would think and having been involved with a football club which was kicked out of a competition by the FA for fielding an ineligible player, I know how easily it happens.

Invariably, it is not one mistake but a catalogue of minor infractions that lead to the paperwork not being correct. It is usually nobody's fault, but sport doesn't work that way and someone has to be accountable. This is one of the very few occasions where the blame gets laid squarely on the shoulders of the secretary or the chief executive instead of the manager or the coach.

The clubs can moan and groan all they like but it is just one of those things, they should accept the decision and move on. The people who I believe have genuine cause for complaint are the supporters who had bought tickets for the quarter-final between Durham and Yorkshire and then were either kicked out of the ground or turned away at the gate.

My remit when I first discussed writing this weekly column was to take a light hearted look at cricket from the outside. My roots are in football but I love cricket and I thought it would be great fun to try and write witty and entertaining articles about the game. Having looked closely at how supporters are treated by the powers that be the only comedy character that I resemble when writing about cricket these days is Victor Meldrew.

Really, how could they possibly have stopped that quarter final from going ahead knowing that the paying public and the TV audience was geared up to watch the game. Rafiq had played in a previous game when he shouldn't have and that matter was always going to have to be addressed. Surely common sense dictated that he should not have been allowed to play in the quarter-final but the game be played and the supporters entertained.

The disciplinary committee could then have heard the Rafiq case and put in place any contingency fixtures deemed appropriate. As it happens, the quarter final would have been annulled, Glamorgan would take their place in the last eight, Durham could look forward to another bumper gate and the crowd wouldn't have left the Riverside murmuring "you can stick your re-arranged game where the sun don't shine!" Once again the lack of respect shown by the cricketing authorities to the paying public has been disgraceful.

Sympathy must also be given to young Azeem Rafiq who has also been banned from representing the ECB U17 side. What a way for a highly talented young lad to begin his career.

Those of you who followed my recommendation of backing Essex at [8.0] to triumph in the competition will be sitting pretty now that their price is [4.0] to lay. The opportunity exists to have a free bet but I'm going to let my investment run. Graham Napier has been a revelation in the competition thus far but even if it all gets a bit too much for him and he has a bad finals day I think there is more than enough experience and guile in the Essex side to be victorious.

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