CHIPPENHAM Cricket Club have been deducted 10 points after the West of England Premier League season has finished for ill-discipline on the pitch.

The Hardenhuish Park side had already been relegated in Premier Two Glos/Wilts after finishing the campaign in eighth place.

However, the points deduction, originally 20, but then reduced to 10, means that Oli Jones’ side drop to the foot of the table.

And while, the club accept that they did over step the mark, they want to speak to the WEPL about the process in which the points penalty was handed out.

Club secretary Steve Silk said: “We are not appealing the points deduction because, yes, in the heat of battle we did things and said things we shouldn’t have.

“But the first we found out about the deduction was after the season had finished and one of the incidents happened in the first week of August.

“It feels a bit like, you’ve already been relegated so we will make the deductions.

“In games, umpires give captains and teams fair play marks. Our captain was fine, however, as a team, we went below the threshold of what is acceptable and therefore you get deducted 10 points a match.

“What we want to try and do is speak and work with WEPL to try and make the process better, because it could have a big effect on promotion and relegation.”

After a year of disappointment, Silk said that the club will look to address their on-pitch discipline during the close season as well as preparing for the upcoming campaign.

“When you are in Premier Two, whether it be in Glos/Wilts or Bristol/Somerset, you know that there is an off chance of relegation if you finish in eighth,” Silk said.

“With two Glos/Wilts sides relegated from Premier One, it meant we were relegated.

“We now have to move on and start looking ahead to the new season with the immediate aim of getting back into Premier Two.

“We will talk about our disciplinary issues within the camp and make sure that it doesn’t happen again.”