Exclusive: Boycott deserves honour – Graves

Graves has urged Boycott’s critics to let bygones be bygones after revealing the club are to press ahead with plans to give the former opening batsman the highest honour in the county club.

Yorkshire disclosed several years ago they intended to make Boycott president for two years from 2012 under a rotation system which has seen former Yorkshire players Bob Appleyard, Brian Close and present incumbent Ray Illingworth serve identical terms of office.

However, a minority of Yorkshire members and ex-Yorkshire players – including Appleyard and Richard Hutton – do not want Boycott to be given the role amid grievances which, for the most part, date back to Boycott’s days as a player and captain.

Some have not forgiven him for his part in the internecine warfare that bedevilled Yorkshire cricket in the Seventies and Eighties and would prefer someone else to be appointed president.

With Illingworth’s term nearing an end, I understand former international umpire Dickie Bird has even been proposed by two Yorkshire members as an alternative candidate with the consequent backing of Boycott’s opponents.

The issue has been gathering steam ahead of the annual meeting at Headingley next March that will confirm the identity of the new official.

However, Graves last night stressed it is up to the club to nominate a candidate for the presidency and for members to then vote on that nomination, meaning Boycott, Bird or whoever would not be pushed into an embarrassing situation of a head-to-head fight.

Graves, who revealed that Yorkshire plan to make Bird president after Boycott in any case, said he hoped the Yorkshire members would back the board’s proposal to opt for Boycott.

He believes it is time for everyone to put their differences aside as the club attempt to recover from the body blow of County Championship relegation.

Graves said: “This situation is very unfortunate in my view and would appear to be personal.

“Once again, Yorkshire is digging up the past and history when we should be putting it to bed and leaving it alone to be honest. We shouldn’t be looking back at what happened 30 years ago or whenever. We should all be looking forward and working together.

“As far as I’m concerned, Geoff has done a hell of a lot for Yorkshire cricket in the 10 years or so that I’ve been involved.

“He’s supported the board as much as he can, he’s been a tremendous ambassador for Yorkshire and he’s always sung the praises of Yorkshire.

“I’m not afraid of coming out and saying that because it’s time for people to move on.

“Why we always have to look back in Yorkshire, I’ll never know.”

None of his critics have yet publicly outlined their opposition to the plan to appoint Boycott, who was famously described by Leo McKinstry, his biographer, as “a natural focus for discontent”.

Like Graves, they are understood to appreciate that this is a difficult time for the club on the field and have instead been expressing their displeasure behind closed doors.

However, there is an overwhelming likelihood that Boycott will receive the 51 per cent of votes needed to become president in any case.

But Graves – a multi-millionaire who effectively bankrolls the club – is understood to be dismayed at what he perceives as the sort of sideshow Yorkshire could do without and which some club insiders believe reflects poorly on his own financial commitment.

The Yorkshire chief said only that he is fully focused on helping Yorkshire back into the Championship top flight and stressed that the club had been “completely above board” in their advocacy of Boycott, who has been a board member since 2006.

Graves added that Boycott’s opponents had “known from day one” that the club were to put him forward as president.

“They knew what the situation was going to be,” he said.

“We went through the proper process of the club’s nominations committee and everything has been done properly from our point of view. We looked at everybody in contention for the presidency and it was unanimous that we should recommend Geoff for the coming period.

“That has been rubber-stamped by the board ready to go out next month to the Yorkshire members along with the AGM papers, and the only way it won’t happen is if the members vote against it and then we would have to put up someone else. But Geoff is the unanimous choice of the board and someone we firmly believe deserves to be honoured. It’s time to work together and unite as a club to help Yorkshire back to where it belongs.”