The Yorkshire County Cricket Club’s members elected Geoff Cope as the new Club President at the Annual General Meeting.
The 72-year-old former England and Yorkshire spinner succeeds the out-going Richard Hutton and will begin his two-year tenure when the season gets underway in earnest on April 5, with Yorkshire travelling to Trent Bridge to take on Nottinghamshire in their Specsavers County Championship opener. He received 913 votes in favour, with just 12 against.
Cope, who becomes the Club’s 21st President, the first of those being T R Barker back in 1863, took 686 First-Class wickets at an average of 24.70 – 630 of those for the White Rose – in a career spanning almost 15 years.
He was capped for the White Rose in 1970 and appeared in three Tests for England during the 1977-78 tour of Pakistan.
After retiring from playing, Leeds-born Cope was elected to the Yorkshire Cricket Committee and took up the role as Director of Cricket in 2002.
He told yorkshireccc.com: “It’s the highest honour that can be given to an individual within Yorkshire cricket and, as a person who has been involved for many years with the club, it’s a very special day. In the past, Philip Sharpe and Fred Trueman were invited but sadly taken away from us before their actual term of office, I’d like to think I’m representing them as much as the members in this superb position.
“It means everything to me. It’s not something you aim for, it’s something you’ve been given and I’m very honoured by it.
“When you think of Yorkshire’s history from 1863 and you’re the 21st, there’s not many people who get the chance. The vote today has given me a massive boost by saying that everybody is behind me and I’ll do everything I can to be as proud of Yorkshire as I have been and try to enhance that pride amongst other people.”
Former President Richard Hutton was awarded an Honorary Life Membership, with 771 of the club’s members in favour of making the award. Hutton was appointed at an EGM in April 2017 after the sad passing of John Hampshire the previous month.
Neil Hartley was elected to the Board, while Chairman Robin Smith and Stephen Willis were also overwhelmingly re-elected. John Morris, not present due to illness, was voted on to the Members’ Committee and KPMG LLP were re-appointed as the Club’s official auditors.
