Hampshire have had some fairly seismic days in their history but few will match the past 24 hours.

For all the wrong reasons.

A heads-up from a contact in New Zealand that a new overseas player was on his way to the Utilita Bowl seemed like business as usual in early September.

On the same day, Surrey had revealed that Indian seamer Auqib Nabi would join the squad for three of their final four matches.

The previous day, Durham had revealed that veteran Mayank Agarwal would be heading to the North East to join Ben Stokes’ side likely promotion party from Division Two.

Hampshire, meanwhile, had been looking to bring in a second overseas option – alongside Kyle Abbott, whose contract extension was also announced around lunchtime on Tuesday – after their original choice, Delano Potgieter, had been called up for South Africa A for their tour of Bangladesh.

So far, so normal.

The name of the Black Cap heading their way, though, was unexpected.

Scott Kuggeleijn, the 34-year-old bowling all-rounder who made his New Zealand debut against England in Mount Maunganui, remains one of the most divisive men in world cricket – as Hampshire were about to find out in a whirlwind 24 hours of bitterness, acrimony and, ultimately, U-turns.

The New Zealander was found not guilty of rape in 2017 at Hamilton District Court. A trial the previous year had ended in a hung jury.

The court of public opinion, though, was united as one. When Kuggeleijn was announced in Hampshire’s squad of 15 for the game against Warwickshire, the reaction was immediate. And almost entirely negative.

Not just negative but angry. Very, very angry.

The county were accused of attempting to sneak out his arrival, with no press release announcing his signing.

It was not just Hampshire supporters that made their voices heard. Men and women from across the cricket world joined in a chorus of disapproval dating back to 2017, when Kuggeleijn was first selected for New Zealand.

The i Paper understands that the reaction was not only felt on social media.

Inside the club itself, many staff members were equally uneasy about the club’s decision to bring him to the South Coast. There were huge concerns about the message this sent out to the county’s women’s side and also the girls in the Hampshire pathway programme.

A chair at a local club summed up the damage done by the decision.

She said she was “…horrified, truly horrified,” at the prospect of Kuggeleijn playing for the club, believing the initial decision sent out “the wrong signals in terms of what they think of women and girls and their cricket.”

She was far from alone.

If Hampshire were going to backtrack on their decision, though, they weren’t going to do it quickly. On Tuesday evening, as the backlash online grew, The i Paper understands that the county were still standing their ground and preparing for the New Zealander to play against Warwickshire.

The reaction from members, though, was almost entirely unequivocal.

“This was never going to be a good decision for a family-friendly club with strong female teams and a large number of female supporters,” says Steve Godwin, a lifelong Hampshire member.

“The damage done to club will be significant and will last long beyond the end of these four matches.”

Many were equally baffled that the county had brought in a middling all-rounder who had spent the vast majority of the past 12 months playing franchise cricket.

There was even talk of a member-wide boycott for the remainder of the season. By the morning of Wednesday’s match, the mood inside the club had changed. An emotional dressing room, which included Kuggeleijn, was told of the decision shortly before the toss.

The New Zealander headed back to the hotel and now looks set to fly home.

Hampshire weren’t the first county to have shown an interest in the all-rounder.

At least one other high-profile Division One side had been on the verge of signing him in recent seasons but the transfer hadn’t been completed over fears of the reaction that would follow.

It is thought the player himself went into this with his eyes wide open and expected there to be some kickback. But he had not predicted just how visceral it would be.

Neither, it appears, did Hampshire.

The i Paper understands that a review will be held into a decision that has fractured the relationship, not only between the county and its supporters, but between those at the top of the club and those working under them.

Kuggeleijn, meanwhile, will head home, highly unlikely to ever return.