Leading Yorkshire CCC members to discuss best way forward for crisis-hit club

The Yorkshire Post has learned that a meeting will be held in Leeds on Thursday in which prominent members will discuss their preferred way forward for the embattled club.

Around 30 members, including former Yorkshire officials and current vice-presidents, have decided to take action amid mounting concern at the club’s governance and financial management.

One option - believed to be at the drastic end of their thinking - is to try to force an extraordinary general meeting with the aim of passing a vote of no confidence in Lord Kamlesh Patel, the Yorkshire chairman, and the board itself.

Four hundred signatures are needed to compel an EGM, then a two-thirds majority to carry the day.

Others hope that will not be necessary and that the board, or at least some members thereof, including Patel, will be allowed to depart with as much dignity as possible, albeit expeditiously.

Patel has come under fire for summarily sacking 14 people for signing a letter that criticised the previous regime’s handling of the crisis and which questioned the motives of Azeem Rafiq, its central figure, with the various payouts set to cost Yorkshire over £3m.

In a statement issued to this newspaper, and printed in full at the bottom of this article, the Yorkshire board said it had “come a long way” and criticised “the relentless attacks from a small minority of people who wish to destabilise the process and would wish for the club to remain in the past, or to go back to how it was before”, adding that the club can become a “beacon for change”.

Others are less than enamoured with that beacon as it currently shines, which is why the group of Yorkshire members are meeting in Leeds, a collective led by Richard Batho, a former communications manager at Sheffield United Football Club.

The group includes Colin Graves and Robin Smith, the former Yorkshire chairmen, both of whom have made no secret of their opposition to the way the club is being run.

Another understood to be on board is Phillip Hodson, the Yorkshire-born former president of MCC, who played first-class cricket for Cambridge University and second team cricket for Yorkshire.

Although big names guarantee the big attention, it would be disingenuous to say that there is not widespread disquiet among the Yorkshire fan base, with the club forced into a raft of unfair dismissal payouts and also struggling on the field after a dire second half of the season that culminated in relegation from Division One of the County Championship last month.

A vote of no confidence would be the strongest indication of members’ disquiet, although there is little appetite for more arguments and aggravation among the group now seeking to instigate action.

They believe that the club has been damaged enough and some would prefer a conciliatory approach, perhaps retaining some of the newer board members.

One of them, the highly-respected Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, last night issued a statement through the club after the Daily Mail reported that she is on the brink of quitting after carrying out a listening exercise with club staff. “I’m aligned with my fellow board members and remain committed to taking the club forward and driving meaningful change,” she said.

In addition, the board delivered this collective statement in response to the meeting of leading members.

“In the past year we have come a long way in helping to rebuild Yorkshire County Cricket Club after the lowest point in its history," the statement read.

“Some may wish to minimise what happened but we simply cannot forget the significant claims of racism and discrimination within the club which brought us to this point.

“There was a clear and urgent need to make a break from the prevailing culture and build trust, and we make no apology for being driven by a deep-rooted desire to effect real and lasting change.

“We still have much to do, however, to make Yorkshire County Cricket Club a place for everyone, from all backgrounds, as well as to ensure we are back to winning on thepitch.

“Our cause has not been helped by the relentless attacks from a small minority of people who wish to destabilise the process and would wish for the club to remain in the past, or to go back to how it was before.

“From fundamental updates to our governance and our reporting mechanisms, to our EDI programme and the outstanding progress of our Pathways system, the actions we have taken have been aimed at righting the wrongs of the past.

"We are steadfast in our belief that we have always acted in the club’s best interests, and those of its members.

“We are determined to get back to the very top of the game and give the team all the necessary support for next season.

“We are at the start of the long journey as a club but we firmly believe that Yorkshire can be a beacon for change and that what we have learned can serve as an example to others.”