Sir Geoffrey Boycott suspension to be lifted and presidency extended should Scarborough Cricket Club rebels prevail
REBELS hoping to form a new board at Scarborough Cricket Club would reverse Sir Geoffrey Boycott’s “petty and vindictive” suspension as president and give him another year in the role.
They say that it would be their first job after winning their long fight for a Special General Meeting in protest at the way the club is being run.
Boycott was suspended last month for “gross misconduct” after allegedly sharing confidential information with one of the rebels, Robert Harrison, who was also suspended after taking his phone call.
Boycott reacted at the time by telling The Yorkshire Post that the Scarborough board “couldn’t run a p*ss-up in a brewery” and said that he was defending members’ rights to an SGM, which will now take place at the club on Sunday December 7 (11am start).
“It would be the No 1 thing on the agenda immediately after that meeting,” said Neil Fletcher, another of the rebels, of the situation concerning Boycott, who was also reported to the Cricket Regulator and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
“We want to reverse his suspension, which we think was petty and vindictive, and to give him another year as president.
“This situation has marred his presidency, so from our point of view it’s the right thing to do. He is one of the greatest players in the history of the game, and to suspend him for discussing the perilous state of the club's accounts with members is also maybe against club rules.”
Fletcher believes the board has backed down on the SGM because it had no choice, legally or constitutionally.
The Scarborough constitution states that a minimum of 75 members may require an SGM within 21 days – with 91 signatures (including those of Yorkshire batsman Adam Lyth and former Yorkshire players Craig White and David Byas) attached to an official notice sent to the club on September 9.
“I think they've finally realised that constitutionally they had to do it,” said Fletcher, who would form a new board with Harrison and fellow ex-Scarborough players Darren Barton, Luke Jarvis and Tim Watts.
“They didn't have an option. If they were challenged in court, they’d have lost and been personally liable. Maybe they’re resigned to the fact that they’ve done such a bad job they should leave.”
The SGM notice cited five items to be transacted - the loss of the first team from the Yorkshire Premier League North; “financial mismanagement” resulting in cumulative losses of around £175,000 in 2023 and 2024; ticket price increases that have “alienated” spectators; “neglect of facilities”, and “complete disregard” for members.
The rebels are now waiting to see whether the SGM papers - the notice of which must reach the membership, constitutionally, 14 days in advance - remain true to those items.
“Until we see what they post out, we haven’t got a clue what it’s going to say, to be honest,” added Fletcher.
“They could send out something that's very disingenuous, or they could send it out as it was done originally; we don’t have a clue on that.”
Another concern for them is Harrison’s suspension, given that the initial SGM submission called for all five rebels to be appointed to the board. Fletcher argues that Harrison’s treatment, along with that of Boycott, is technically null and void anyway given that the SGM should already have taken place before both were sanctioned.
The rebels are unlikely to give in should they not prevail on December 7, with Boycott’s suspension having the air of a big own goal by the board.
The matter of the suspensions, the delays to the SGM (which saw the board initially issue legal letters in response), and the fact that the process appears to have been taken out of the club secretary’s hands – also against the constitution – might provide grounds for further action.