Yorkshire have decided not to appeal against the eight points they have had deducted by the ECP Pitches Panel because of the 'poor' preparation of the Scarborough pitch for the current game against Championship leaders Surrey.

But, after lengthy talks at the North Marine Road ground yesterday, Yorkshire cricket committee representative Geoff Cope said that club chairman Keith Moss would be raising the issue at a general committee meeting of the club.

The whole matter of the inconsistency of pitch liaison officers throughout the season will be raised with a view to making representations to the ECB at the end of the season.

ECB Cricket Operations Manager Alan Fordham, a member of the Pitches Panel, said that the reason Yorkshire had been deducted eight points was because of the amount of grass left on the pitch from the start there had been undue seam movement and unevenness of bounce on the first day.

He said that there were no extenuating circumstances.

Cope conceded that it was partly because of this that it was felt there was little point in appealing.

Although Yorkshire are now effectively out of the title race, the loss of eight points could seriously affect their chances of finishing second which brings with it a prize of £50,000.

If Yorkshire's game with Surrey finishes in a rain-hit draw today Yorkshire will receive a total of seven points, which is one less than they started the game with and it will leave them trailing second placed Lancashire by 11 points, each side having two games still to play.

If they lose to Surrey, however, they will get only three batting bonus points and the gap with Lancashire will be 15 points.

Yorkshire, bitterly disappointed and privately angry at the docking of eight points on what they still feel was a good pitch, decided on their plan of action at a behind-closed-doors meeting.

Those involved in the meeting were club president Robin Smith, captain David Byas, director of coaching Martyn Moxon, Cope, and Scarborough Cricket Club chief executive Cec Snell who, along with Cope, had been present during all of the Pitches Panel's interviews.

After presenting the official statement, Cope said: "I think it is unlucky of us to be docked eight points. We have to look at the record over the past five years at Scarborough and the cricket has been excellent.

"On the first day of this match the public saw 330 runs scored and eight wickets go down and they would class that as entertaining.

"Between five and ten years ago, the pitches at North Marine Road were very low and slow, with scores like 600 for four or 570 for three resulting in bore draws and spectators registered their disapproval by not coming to Scarborough"

"Five years' ago they made an effort to put some pace into the pitch and the consequence was that the nicks started carrying to the slips.

"The one-day match against Kent last year had received a below average mark but the ten previous championship and one-day matches on the ground had received consistently high markings."

Cope said that the Panel had accepted that the pitch was dry at the start of the game and they thought it was the length of the grass which had caused it to pick up dampness following rain and heavy dew.