KENT are seeking arbitration with the England and Wales Cricket Board over the decision to keep them in Division Two of the County Championship.

The ECB ruled that Hampshire should retain their top-flight status next year rather than promote Kent – the Division Two runners-up – after financially-stricken Durham were relegated as a condition applied in their £3.8million bail-out.

Kent quickly took issue with that arrangement, described by their chairman George Kennedy as “plumb wrong” – but the governing body clarified it was one taken “in line with the two-down, one-up relegation and promotion rules for this season’s county championship”.

All counties, players and supporters were made aware before the start of the 2016 season that, for one summer only in order to achieve a new structure, just one team would be promoted – with two going down.

Kent, however, believe extraordinary circumstances have since arisen.

Following a report in The Times revealing the club’s lawyers had written to the ECB describing the decision as “prejudiced, perverse and contrary to natural justice”, Kennedy confirmed the letter had been sent and that he met with ECB chairman Colin Graves.