David Smith: Ex-Northants CEO turned away from Lancashire game

Smith was CEO at Leicestershire before taking the job with Northants

Former Northants chief executive David Smith says he was turned away from the county's home T20 Blast game against Lancashire last Friday.

The 58-year-old former Warwickshire batsman left his role in November after three years, following their relegation from Division One.

"We turned up at the turnstiles and were told I couldn't come in but my son could," he told BBC Radio Northampton.

"I wasn't given a reason at all - I was just told it had come from the board."

The match, which the hosts won by four runs, was the third Northants game that Smith had gone to since leaving Wantage Road.

He was allowed to watch matches against Birmingham Bears and Derbyshire T20 matches and does not understand why the Lancashire game was any different as he had paid for a ticket.

"We kept an exceptionally low profile after the games [we had been to], we've gone straight away, and just been spectators at the game. I haven't had a conversation with anyone on the board; I've seen one board member at the two games I was at.

"We were a bit stunned, a bit embarrassed and quite sad no-one had the decency to come to talk to me."

Northants declined to comment when contacted by BBC Radio Northampton, but Smith said he had asked for an explanation from the club's chairman Gavin Warren.

"I dropped an email [on Sunday] to the chairman asking if he could come back to me, which he's not done. Clearly they don't want to talk about it.

"I'm completely unaware of why. When I left I was told I'd be welcomed back; I parted very amicably from the club having had a wonderful three years," he added.