Going into the competition with high hopes of winning the second division and thus joining the likes of Scotland, Denmark, Netherlands and overall winners Ireland in the top flight of non-Test playing countries in Europe, Greece were stripped of the six points that they gained during their group matches when they won three out of three.

Their net run rate was also cancelled out which led to defeat against France in a washed-out play-off game to settle the 5th-8th positions. And to cap their misery, they refused to play Israel at a military base some five hours drive from Glasgow which led to them forfeiting the game, so finishing bottom of the table and dropping down next season to Division 3.

The two players at the heart of the row, Paul Maraziotis and Michalis Toussis, are Greek-Australians from Melbourne who both carry Greek passports.

"It is a terrible decision," said Iosef Nikitas, president of the Greek Cricket Federation.

"What they are saying is that it is okay for other countries, like France, to pick a team with no Frenchmen in it but it is not okay to be Greek and play for the Greek national team.

"What makes it worse is that we sent through all the paperwork prior to the tournament and we were given the all clear. If there was a problem with our players why weren't we told then?"

Nikitas, who said that Greece had lodged counter-complaints against several other countries, made it clear, however, that the decision not to play against Israel had nothing to do with the current war in the Middle East.

"It was nothing to do with politics. It was logistics. We were informed of the decision to play very late and it meant a five hour drive across Scotland to play on an artificial pitch - and it was probably going to rain again which with our net run rate wiped out almost certainly meant another defeat. We decided as a team not to go."

Richard Holdsworth, the Regional Development Manager of the European Cricket Council (ECC), however, rejected claims of foul play.

"To qualify for a team, it is not just enough for someone to be a passport holder. That was never in doubt with these two players. The other criteria that must be fulfilled is that a player must have played 50 per cent of national competition matches in three of the preceding five years or done 100 days development work in that country.

"Alternatively, the player might have played for his country before or received a special dispensation from the ECC. This goes to people who are very close to fulfilling the criteria.

"When we interviewed both players it became clear that they neither knew of the development criteria and nor could they fulfil it."

Holdsworth also rejected Nikitas's claims that the ECC had acted after the event by imposing the penalty after originally allowing Mariozotis and Toussis to compete.

"We were happy with the information that we were given at the time," he said. "Happy because the chairman or president of every federation has to sign a declaration that it is a true record.

"However, when we received a complaint we were duty bound to investigate."

Initially, Greece were given the go-ahead to play in the semi-final against Jersey so long as the two players took no further part. But, after overnight consultation with the lawyer of the International Cricket Council, that punishment was changed and they were stripped of their points.

As it was Maraziotis had been one of the stars of the group games. Batting at number three, he made 54 in the 56-run win over Germany, 102 as Greece crushed Gibraltar by 143 runs and 34 not out in the nine-wicket win over Guernsey.

A place in the first division would have been enormously beneficial for Greek cricket, not just raising the standard of the game at home just when the federation is attempting to boost its profile across the country but also because it would mean a chance of qualifying for the 2011 World Cup.

That now looks a dream as distant as ever.