Chilton's men were five points away from winning the county title

The 31-year-old batsman, who has played for the county for 10 years, succeeded Warren Hegg as skipper but failed to lead the team to any silverware.

They came agonisingly close to winning the County Championship last season but his batting record remained modest.

"It has been an honour to captain my home county. This has been a difficult decision but I realise my form hasn't been what it should," Chilton admitted.

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No decision has been made on a successor, with the club planning to discuss options at their next cricket committee meeting on 30 October.

One possibility might be all-rounder Glen Chapple, who has signed a contract extension tying him to the club until the end of the 2009 season.

The 33-year-old has played for the club since 1992 and has taken 950 wickets in all competitions, as well as scoring almost 8,000 runs.