Durham relegated to Division Two, Hampshire reinstated

A general view of a Kookaburra turf four piece cricket ball is seen before play on day one of the Sheffield Shield final match between the Tasmanian Tigers and the New South Wales Blues at Bellerive Oval on March 17, 2011
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Durham fall foul of financial rules and are relegated from Division One, gifting Hampshire an instant return to the division just a fortnight after they faced the drop.

Durham have been relegated to Division Two in the County Championship due to financial issues and also handed a 48-point deduction for the start of next season.

The North-East county, who have also lost the right to stage Test cricket matches at their Riverside home, are to be replaced by Hampshire.

A £3.8m financial aid package has been accepted by Durham, but they face the prospect of a further four-point penalty in the 2017 T20 Blast and the same deficit in the One-Day Cup.

Hampshire were relegated from Division One less than two weeks ago but will now have their place reinstated, with Durham - county champions in 2008, 2009 and 2013 - heading the opposite way.

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