Leics 'spurred on' by points penalty - Thomas

The 27-point deduction that has Leicestershire on the brink of County Championship relegation is what is fuelling their fight for survival, says Foxes head coach Alfonso Thomas.

It was at lunch on the second day of their Division One match against Hampshire this week that Thomas told his Leicestershire players of the impending punishment for the club's breach of pitch regulations in their victory over Glamorgan in August.

After the close of play at Grace Road that same evening, the points were docked and Leicestershire were sent to the bottom of the table.

It meant they needed to beat their relegation rivals to avoid making an immediate return to Division Two.

They pulled off the result, consigning Hampshire to the drop along the way, with a five-wicket triumph that takes the Foxes relegation battle to the final round of matches.

"The guys came off at lunch [on Wednesday] and I did a full-blown half-time talk, told them exactly what the punishment was and that just spurred the guys on," Thomas told BBC Radio Leicester.

"They were like, 'It doesn't matter what you throw at us, we will just keep doing our job.'

"It's a fantastic win. It was obviously a tough couple of days, but just the way this team have come together every time there's an obstacle thrown at them, every time there's questions asked about them. Are they good enough? Do they have the character? Can they come back from what has happened in the last week?

"I think it's fair to say we've answered all the questions, and it's been a fantastic all-round effort from everybody to a man."

And yet, the Foxes' hopes of staying up remain slim.

They are 19 points from safety and need to beat competition leaders Warwickshire, while having results elsewhere go their way, to stay in the top flight.

Still, Thomas said the emotions of the victory that has staved off relegation for another week, and the strength of feeling that remains after the points deduction, will play a part in Sunday's One-Day Cup final when they face Middlesex at Trent Bridge.

"I said to the lads last night that it's a good way to start the weekend if we can get over the line today," Thomas said.

"There's a lot of momentum all of a sudden, and your sore bodies aren't so sore anymore going into tomorrow and going into Sunday,

"It's a fantastic occasion. There will be a lot of support for us, especially in light of what's happened this week. I think there will be a lot more people rooting for us on Sunday."