Support role is the pinnacle of Graves’s ambition with the ECB

The Yorkshire executive chairman is set to become Clarke’s 
No 2 at the ECB’s annual meeting in May.

But Graves said he had no long-term desire to step into Clarke’s shoes.

He added that he had been persuaded to stand as deputy chairman by his fellow county chiefs and the MCC.

“No, I don’t want to run the game,” said Graves, who will succeed former England batsman Dennis Amiss as deputy chairman for a three-year term.

“I’m very happy to be Giles’s 
No 2, assuming that my appointment is ratified, and I’m not looking at anything beyond that role.

“We’ve got a very good chairman at the ECB in the shape of Giles Clarke and I have no ambition of doing that job.

“My role is simply to give Giles as much support as I can and to serve Yorkshire’s interests as best I can.”

Graves’s appointment is set to be a formality after he beat Essex chairman Nigel Hilliard in a secret ballot.

The voting went 10-7 in Graves’s favour, with two abstentions, and his name will now go forward for ratification by the 41 members of ECB.

A self-made multi-millionaire and founder of the Costcutter Supermarket Group, Graves has a proven track record in business and cricket and has never been afraid to speak his mind.

He is perceived as a much more challenging deputy than Amiss, which is the main reason Graves was persuaded to stand.

“I had no intention of becoming deputy chairman but, when Nigel Hilliard put his name forward last November, I had some counties who rang me and said that if he’s going to stand, we believe that someone else should stand and would I be that person?

“I thought about it a lot and then threw my name into the hat in January.

“There was no burning ambition on my part, to be honest, but, when the opportunity arose, I thought, ‘Yes, why not?’

“It will be great to get involved and an exciting challenge.”

Graves will have less of a hands-on position at Yorkshire when his appointment is approved but will still be in charge of the policies and purse strings.

It means Yorkshire will have a greater voice in the corridors of power, while the club have brought forward plans to appoint a new chief executive to help take some of the pressure off Graves.

“I think it’s good for the club to have greater representation on the ECB board,” he added.

“I’d like to think that I’ve made my mark in those circles and that people have listened to what I’ve said over the years and respected what I’ve said.

“The key issue for me going forward – and the thing I’m particularly keen to drive – is to make sure that all the first-class counties are profitable entities.

“As we know, some are struggling to keep their heads above water, and I would work during my three years as deputy chairman to help them do just that.”

Yorkshire have lined up a prestigious fixture against MCC.

They will host the Marylebone club for the first time at Headingley on Wednesday, June 26 in a 50-overs-a-side match starting at 11am.

“We are delighted that MCC has agreed to come and play the first team at Headingley in our 150th year,” commented Graves.

“We expect a very competitive match featuring some world-class talent.

“Out of all the events planned in our sesquicentennial year, this will be the one where the vast majority of members and cricket fans from across the county can bask in the history and glory of our great club.

“With the match taking place just three days after the ICC Champions Trophy final, which is being held in England, we are hopeful that MCC can call upon some world-class players to play in the game.”

Mike Griffith, MCC president, said: “MCC is honoured to have been invited to play against Yorkshire CCC as part of the county’s 150th anniversary celebrations.

“The day promises to be a wonderful occasion, and I am sure that we will be treated to some excellent cricket from both sides.

“Yorkshire’s contribution to the English game over the past 150 years is without parallel; it has produced some of this country’s finest cricketers and achieved unprecedented success in the domestic first-class game.

“It was always said that a strong Yorkshire meant a strong England, but the talent and passion for cricket in the county runs all the way down to the grassroots.”

Yorkshire last played MCC in a first-class fixture at Scarborough in 1987, the visitors winning by six wickets.

Fixtures between the clubs used to be commonplace and date back to the first match in 1870, when WG Grace represented MCC.

n Tickets for the game at Headingley are already on sale, priced £5 for members and Club Yorkshire juniors.

Club Yorkshire adults and other concessions can watch for £10, while general admission is £15.

Tickets can be bought from the Yorkshire ticket office on 0871 971 1222 or by visiting www.yorkshireccc.com

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