England's cricket authorities, shocked out of their stance of moral righteousness over the match-rigging affair by unproven allegations that Alec Stewart took money from an Indian bookmaker, are likely to invite police to consider an urgent criminal investigation into the most controversial county match of the past decade.
Long-standing allegations by the former Essex bowler, Don Topley, that the outcome of two matches between Essex and Lancashire in 1991 was rigged were met for many years with a dismissive response by the England and Wales Cricket Board. But the ECB had little choice but to reopen investigations last summer after supportive allegations that the matches were fiddled. Now the police are likely to be asked to investigate the conduct of matches played under two stand-in captains with England honours, Lancashire's Neil Fairbrother, and Essex's Neil Foster.
Topley's allegations did not involve bribes from bent bookies, but claimed that the two desired results between Essex and Lancashire in August 1991 were conveniently achieved in a shoddy deal that suited both counties' ambitions.
Essex beat Lancashire by eight wickets in what Wisden called "a generous declaration" and went on to win the championship. In the middle of the championship fixture, a Sunday League match was won by Lancashire, by five wickets with five balls to spare, in a season they finished runners-up.
Topley has always maintained that he bowled badly in the Sunday one-day game under instructions, stating: "I was told `you know what you've got to do' and I deliberately bowled so that Neil Fairbrother could milk my bowling." Guy Lovell, a former Essex spinner, and now a Lancashire plumber, has always supported Topley's claim that the matches were fixed.
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