The Board of Eastern Province Cricket has put its full support behind its President, Donovan May.
This follows the signing of a petition by representatives from 27 of EPC's 78 club members, which called for the resignation of May, following his election to the Board of Cricket South Africa.
"It is critical that Donovan May retains his position on the EPC Board, otherwise he would automatically have to step down from the CSA Board in terms of the CSA constitution. That would be a serious blow to local cricket, as it would leave EPC without representation at national board level," says EPC chief executive, Mark Williams.
At its meeting earlier this week, the EPC Board also resolved to investigate a list of grievances which were made public at the time the petition was delivered to its headquarters at St George's Park.
"The Board has authorised the President, Chairman of the Legal and Governance Committee and myself to investigate and employ legal counsel to deal with the contents of the grievance document and the petition and any matters flowing from the accusations and complaints," says Williams.
"We have to establish the authority and authenticity of the petition and grievance document. The Board has sanctioned the taking of civil action and the laying of criminal charges against the author or authors of the list if these actions are warranted," he added.
Williams has already started contacting the leadership of the clubs listed in the petition in order to resolve any outstanding issues.
May says it is common knowledge that cricket in South Africa is facing a number of serious challenges.
"Our focus is on ensuring there is stability within EPC leadership so we can tackle the problems faced by the clubs, particularly those in the townships and rural areas," he said.
