Davidson hits back at players' revolt

Leicestershire chairman Neil Davidson has accused coach Tim Boon and captain Matthew Hoggard of setting a poor example to the younger players at the club after the pair led calls for his resignation.

As Cricinfo exclusively revealed, Boon and Hoggard, backed by the playing, ground and administrative staff allege that Davidson interferes in team affairs and has made the club unattractive to new players. However, following an emergency board meeting at Grace Road on Monday, and a private meeting with Hoggard, Davidson denies the charge and believes the actions have set a bad precedent.

"I think really the way the senior coach unfortunately got the captain into this and the senior players is setting a very poor example to our fine young players about how they should behave at a cricket club," Davidson told Sky Sports News. "I like Matthew immensely it but I don't think he's thought this one through. I think Matthew has found himself in a very difficult position. The current situation is unsustainable so we'll see how it all pans out."

Hoggard later released a statement of his own insisting he had taken his action in the best interests of the club. "As coach and captain, Tim Boon and I believe we have a duty to bring matters of serious concern to our employer's attention and we did this privately and confidentially in recognition that this was and remains a matter for the board of Leicestershire county cricket club.

"We conveyed the sincere and deeply held views of the players and staff of the Club to the Board and asked them to act appropriately in light of those concerns. We continue to urge them to do so."

Leicestershire finished bottom of the second division of the County Championship last year and though they have fared better in first-class cricket under new captain Hoggard this season - winning five matches - Davidson believes the poor performances in limited-overs cricket demands his attention.

"I don't interfere on a week-to-week basis, day-to-day basis, it's when we lose matches we should win and we lost all our home games in Twenty20 this year bar one which was rained off. We've won two CB40 games so far this season and we've lost twice to Scotland.

"The performances just aren't good enough and these are revenue-generating areas of the club and for a small county we can't afford to underperform. We've got one of the best set of youngsters in the country and I'm raising questions about the ability of the management to get the best out of those players."