Headingley will ‘up game’ to strengthen Test hand – Arthur

Yorkshire’s new chief executive, who starts his job today, said a key part of his vision for the club’s future is to improve Headingley’s standing on the international stage.

Yorkshire are guaranteed Test and one-day international cricket each year until 2019 as part of their staging agreement with the England and Wales Cricket Board, negotiated as part of their purchase of Headingley cricket ground in 2005.

But with 10 clubs effectively competing for seven Tests and 10 one-day internationals in the average year, Arthur is adamant that Yorkshire must raise their game to keep up with the Jones’s.

In his first interview following his appointment, Arthur told the Yorkshire Post: “We’ve got Test cricket guaranteed at Headingley until 2019 and need to make sure that by that time we are firmly established as one of the top four or five Test match grounds in this country, and I believe that’s achievable.

“The history and tradition is at Headingley and now that the club owns the ground, I think that’s going to be significant in the way that we can take the club forward.

“Durham are having one or two problems at the moment, and, being totally one-eyed about it, we’ve got to make sure that we up our game, we provide a great level of service and we attract large crowds to Headingley.

“We need to ensure Headingley and Yorkshire cricket are at the forefront of people’s minds when looking to award international fixtures in the future.”

Arthur believes too many clubs are staging international games and said it was “disrespectful” to opposition players.

In addition to the six traditional centres of Headingley, Lord’s, The Oval, Trent Bridge, Edgbaston and Old Trafford, international cricket has recently proliferated to Cardiff, Chester-le-Street, Southampton and Bristol.

“I’m a traditionalist with regard to cricket and sport in general,” said Arthur. “I believe very much in six Test match grounds.

“That might be controversial to some people, but that’s how I feel.

“I think it’s disrespectful to overseas cricketers that come over here and want to play at the traditional grounds where their predecessors have played.”

Arthur, 54, formerly chief executive of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club and Nottingham Forest football club, said his immediate priority was to ensure people flocked to Headingley for the Test match against New Zealand that starts on May 24.

Yorkshire have sold around 9,500 tickets for each of the first two days and around 7,000 for day three.

“We need to get as many people into Headingley as we can to showcase what a fantastic cricket ground it is to the world,” he said.

“Then, hopefully, next season more and more people will want to choose Headingley as a place of destination to watch their cricket.”