TOUTS who sell Ashes tickets online for extortionate prices are to be banned from matches at Trent Bridge.
Bosses at the ground are working with sites like eBay and Seatwave to track down people who try to sell tickets at inflated prices.
Tickets costing £80 for the clash between England and Australia next summer are being sold online for up to £500. The first four days of the five-day match sold out within hours of going on sale last week.
Notts County Cricket Club have identified 600 tickets which are being sold online for above face value. Club chief executive Lisa Pursehouse said they would cancel those tickets and re-sell them to people who missed out, while stopping the sellers from buying tickets at Trent Bridge again.
She said: "Selling cricket tickets for profit does not contravene any laws but it does contravene our ground regulations. It is up to us to enforce these regulations and we have cancelled tickets and blacklisted purchasers found to be selling tickets for profit."
Tickets for the first Ashes Test at Trent Bridge, between July 10 and 14 next year, went on sale last Monday. Notts' ticket hotline had huge demand, with some fans waiting hours. Thousands were left disappointed and were placed on a waiting list.
Websites like eBay, Seatwave and Getmein allow people who have bought tickets for some sports and music concerts to sell them on.
It is illegal to do this with tickets for football matches but this is not the case in other sports. It is down to individual grounds to police it.
Notts CCC said people found selling their tickets online for a profit would have them cancelled and be refunded. They have been banned from buying tickets.
The club are contacting fans put on the waiting list to offer them the chance to buy the tickets.
Mrs Pursehouse said: "We want this match to be enjoyed by genuine cricket fans and if anyone has a genuine reason for being unable to use their tickets they should get in contact with us.
"We will remain vigilant and continue to take action where we see tickets being sold for profit."
Gordon Hollins, the English Cricket Board's managing director for the professional game, has backed Trent Bridge's policy. "Selling tickets for profit is unfair on ordinary fans and prevents the game being accessible to all sections of the community," he said.
"[The board] is committed to eradicating ticket touting wherever possible and all international venues who take action against touts will have our full and wholehearted support."
Tom Smith, 22, of West Bridgford, missed out on tickets. He said: "I can't believe people do this. I was so disappointed to miss out, but to find that people are buying them to make a profit is ridiculous. It's good the club are taking action."
