The Yorkshire County Cricket Club’s 2023 Annual General Meeting (AGM) took place in the Long Room at Headingley on the evening of Friday 24th March.
Just over 300 members were in attendance, while the live stream has been viewed more than 1,200 times.
During the meeting Co-Chair Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson and Chief Executive Stephen Vaughan provided reports and answered Members’ questions, updating on key issues including plans for refinancing the Club, and ongoing progress in securing further revenue streams.
Lord Kamlesh Patel officially stood down as Chair at the end of the AGM, and Baroness Grey-Thompson gave thanks for his guidance and commitment to the Club during his tenure. An update was provided on the appointment process for a new permanent Club Chair, for which the Board hopes to make an announcement in the near future.
Managing Director of Cricket, Darren Gough, provided a report on the progress made across men’s and women’s teams, including an update on contract renewals and recruitment ahead of the new season.
Resolutions and voting
Six resolutions were voted on during the meeting, with all passed by Members.
The results of the votes saw former Yorkshire and England cricketer Dr Jane Powell become the first woman to be appointed President of the Club, while the outgoing President Geoff Cope, who served for four years, was awarded an Honorary Life Membership alongside current England all-rounder Katherine Sciver-Brunt.
A summary of the six resolutions ratified on the night can be seen below.
Item 7 – Approval of the Accounts
For – 159
Against – 23
Item 8 – Election of Dr Jane Powell as President
For – 154
Against – 28
Item 9 – Special resolution comprising certain rule changes
For – 154
Against – 26
Item 10 – Election of Geoff Cope as an Honorary Life Member
For – 181
Against – 4
Item 11 – Election of Katherine Sciver-Brunt as an Honorary Life Member
For – 166
Against – 16
Item 12 – Re-appoint Azets Audit Services Limited as auditors of the Club for the coming year
For – 159
Against – 18
Baroness Tanni Grey Thompson, Co-Chair, said:
“It was fantastic to have so many of our members join us on Friday evening, both in the room and via the live stream. The passion from our membership is there for all to see and they, alongside the rest of the Board, staff and players, have a huge role to play in driving Yorkshire forward in the coming months and years.
“While there remain challenging times ahead, Friday’s AGM highlighted the many opportunities available to everyone involved in Yorkshire Cricket. I’m confident we will continue our journey to be an inclusive, inspirational and high-performing organisation, ensuring that cricket is a game for everyone in Yorkshire.
“Huge congratulations must go to Jane Powell, who was rightly voted in as our new President. Jane had a fabulous playing career and has gone on to make a big difference to many young people during her career in coaching, both in cricket and other sports. Having a woman as the President of the Club for the first time represents a huge moment for us, and I have no doubt that Jane is the first of many whose fantastic services to the game are recognised in this way.
“I must also express my gratitude to Geoff Cope, whose term as President comes to an end. He has been awarded an Honorary Life Membership, having been a brilliant ambassador for the Club.
Katherine Sciver-Brunt has also received the same accolade, having had a phenomenal playing career and inspiring so many girls to take up the game.
“The meeting represented Lord Kamlesh Patel’s last day as Chair of the Club. He leaves with our thanks and best wishes having put in place structures that are vital to ensuring that Yorkshire is a Club that people are proud to be associated with. He will continue to be warmly welcomed at Headingley in the future”.
A link to the recording of the AGM can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/live/-AHJg3Vtonk?feature=share
Clarification
In February, we provided an update to Members regarding the Club accepting a Cricket Discipline Commission charge relating to the deletion of data and documents. This related, in part, to our understanding that certain documents and emails created prior to the appointment of Lord Patel –relating to the allegations of racism and the Club’s response to those allegations – were unable to be located. We engaged independent specialists to investigate and we were informed that their conclusion was that emails and documents, both held electronically by the Club and in paper copy, had been irretrievably deleted from both servers and laptops and otherwise destroyed.
Our original statement was unintentionally unclear and may have indicated that the deletion/destruction of the documents/emails occurred prior to the appointment of Lord Patel. In fact, it is the documents/emails which pre-dated his appointment, and we did not intend to offer a specific timeframe for the deletion. We apologise for this and wanted to make this clear to Members.
