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| Friday, 9 August, 2002, 11:31 GMT 12:31 UK Tykes face uncertain future
On leaving Headingley just before Yorkshire completed their heavy cup defeat on Surrey, a well-known supporter exclaimed: "That's it, I'm off. I've got nothing to complain about." If only that were really true. In a season like the one Yorkshire have had you can't blame anyone for raising a glass on reaching a Lord's final. But no sooner had the drink run dry on Tuesday than it was back to bad stuff.
The reality of needing to double the borrowing limit from �5m to �10m had led to the club's bank, HSBC demanding major changes to the way Yorkshire runs its business. On Monday afternoon the club's commitee will meet to discuss the changes that are being demanded. The message appears clear: sort it out or we will pull your funds. This weekend the players are left wondering if they will be paid until the end of the season, and several are wondering what future they have at the club. Captain Darren Lehmann leaves this weekend to join up with Australia and the dressing room he walks out of is not a happy place. "They really don't know what is happening," he told Yorkshire Uncovered. "There is a meeting with the management board next week. Until we have that meeting we are left in the dark although we do have assurances that everything will be OK. "There are conflicting reports over how many players are going. All we can do, as players, is play the game but it does affect us to a certain extent". "It's one of the biggest clubs in the world and nobody will want to see the club go under. We've plenty of good strong young players around and hopefully will have for years to come". Restructuring Reports suggest that chairman Keith Moss will be asked to step down and his place will be taken by the president, Robin Smith. The role of the committee will be rendered meaningless and Smith, together with the bank and other businessmen, will take over the running of the club. The expression of turkeys voting for Christmas comes instantly to mind. But if the club are as deep in financial trouble as it now seems the question begs to be asked of both the committee and their members: do they have a choice? Moss is fully aware that the days of old - where decisions about the club's day-to-day running have to be passed by 12 members of a committee - are over. Other county clubs have streamlined their operations. But Yorkshire's progress has been slow, painfully slow and thankfully the might of the bank manager is forcing the issue. "We're certainly not in a position of crisis, just a little difficulty," Moss told Yorkshire Uncovered
"Yes we have an overspend on the building contract and anyone involved will know this is part and parcel of building life". The project to develop Headingley, which is a must to hold any hope of keeping international cricket in Leeds, has now shot up from �9.8m to at least �11.8m. We must remember that Yorkshire began the season by announcing that an investigation had been launched by the fraud squad into how the club had lost �100,000. The investigation drew a blank - the reason given that the poor financial record-keeping made it impossible to prove any criminal activity took place. At the close of the crunch meeting of the Yorkshire committee everyone hopes the club will come out stronger. Unfortunately one or two individuals will lose their positions of authority at the club, where they have worked very hard, often unpaid. But there lies one of the problems: a professional sporting club can no longer operate that way. The final of the C&G Trophy won't be enough to paper over the cracks of a dreadful County Championship season and neither will it help the club out of its current financial trouble. But I'm still looking forward to it. Yorkshire Uncovered can be heard on Thursdays on BBC Radio Five Live's Ian Payne Show (7.00-10.00pm). Next instalment: 15 August. |
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