Middlesex have lost their appeal against a two-point penalty imposed by the England and Wales Cricket Board following their abandoned match against Surrey, confirming their relegation to Division Two for the 2018 season.
The 2016 County Champions were relegated by a single point after losing their final match against Somerset. They appealed the penalty, which stemmed from a slow over rate during the match at The Oval that was abandoned when a crossbow bolt was fired into the ground.
The Cricket Discipline Commission upheld the deduction, with chairman Tim O'Gorman stating that the rules on over rates are clear and that Middlesex could not guarantee they would have made up the lost overs had the match continued. He also rejected the claim that the abandonment was conditional on overlooking the slow over rate.
The crossbow bolt, measuring 12 to 18 inches, landed within feet of players. No injuries were reported, but Surrey chief executive Richard Gould noted it could have been fatal.
