KENT are consulting with their solicitors and considering legal action following the successful Yorkshire-led appeal against the ECB's decision to re-schedule their flood-ruined LV Championship match at New Road earlier this month.

Nine counties supported Yorkshire's claims that re-scheduling the match from July 31 would benefit Worcestershire, then Yorkshire, Lancashire, Durham and Warwickshire later voted to block the Board's compromise deal of awarding Kent nine points for the abandoned game (four for the draw and five points in compensation).

Clearly the innocent party in the whole charade, Kent are rightly aggrieved by the stance of their fellow Division 1 sides and, according to chairman Carl Openshaw, are "reserving their legal rights to redress".

Reacting to the ECB climbdown to re-play the game from Monday and the four top-flight sides who vetoed the compromise deal, Mr Openshaw said: "Everyone connected with Kent Cricket is extremely disappointed at the way this situation has unfolded and by the eventual outcome.

"We find it extraordinary that four counties should have decided to overturn the ECB's proposal to resolve this matter for what can only be regarded as reasons of self-interest.

"From the outset, it was recognised that Kent was the totally innocent party and had, as ECB put it, 'been disadvantaged by Worcestershire's decision not to relocate the match to another venue'.

"The ECB had, therefore, sought to find an equitable solution, firstly by deciding that the match should be rescheduled (to which a number of counties objected) and subsequently by proposing that Kent should be awarded five additional points in compensation.

"Lancashire, Yorkshire, Warwickshire and Durham were not prepared to support this proposal. It should be noted that Yorkshire, Warwickshire and Durham had all gained at least 20 points from their matches with Worcestershire and that the average number of points gained by all counties against Worcestershire up to that date was 16 (compared to the total of 9 points which ECB had proposed for Kent).

"Kent's players, who sat through predominantly fine weather at Worcester with no prospect of play and who have seen recent matches relocated in similar circumstances, feel cheated and the members and supporters of Kent have been badly let down.

"Kent County Cricket Club continues to consider its position in this matter and is reserving all its legal rights."

In a statement issued on Thursday afternoon, some 16 days after the New Road fiasco, the board announced their findings.

Their statement read: "Whilst the Board has great sympathy for Kent it is recognised that the rescheduling of the match could lead to an inadvertent benefit to Worcestershire. The Board was advised by Counsel that the option of awarding points to Kent would require unanimity from Counties in Division 1 of the LV County Championship which was not forthcoming.

"The New Road venue is flooded and could not host the match on the rescheduled dates. The Board has therefore determined the only option left to it which is that the match be abandoned and that Worcestershire and Kent shall each gain four points from the abandoned match."