The threat to withdraw their services at all Sunday League games on Aug 31 was deferred and the board are to be asked to consider appointing a county representative on all England tours, including the A and under-19 sides.

The Association of County Cricket Scorers had called an extraordinary general meeting in Derby to protest against the appointment of Malcolm Ashton, BBC TV's scorer, to his third consecutive tour when England go to the Caribbean this winter.

Ted Lester, chairman of the association, said the meeting expressed their ``extreme disappointment'' at the manner of Ashton's appointment, having been promised last year by John Carr, the board's director of cricket operations, that county scorers would be given the chance to apply for the position. The resolution had called the board's behaviour ``duplicitous''.

Lester added ``but it was felt that strike action would not be in the best interests of cricket.''

Fourteen of the association's 40 county first and second-team scorers were at the meeting. Lester said letters had been received from another 15 - ``of whom four indicated they would have been in favour of strike action and five were against.''

Lester said some scorers had voiced resentment at the attitude of the ECB but it was apparent that the general view was against a strike and a vote was not taken.

``We have had such strong support from all sides that we felt we might lose the sympathy of many people if we went ahead with a strike,'' he said.