Yorkshire end 142-year wait to buy Headingley

After 142 years, Yorkshire members will finally be able to call Headingley their own © Getty Images

As widely speculated in recent weeks, Yorkshire have agreed to buy Headingley for an initial sum of £12m. The club, who have been leasing the ground from Leeds Cricket, Football and Athletic Company, have been bidding for the ground for some time but fell short of the asking price earlier this year.

After the ECB decided not to stage an Ashes Test at Headingley this year, the county was approaching a crossroads - with interest in the club steadily falling. But, thanks to a £9 million loan from Leeds City Council, the future of Headingley as a Test venue is now more secure, although the deal has yet to be rubber-stamped. It is subject to approval by members at a meeting on Christmas Eve, who will also be asked to approve an increase in the club's borrowing limit from £10 million to £25 million.

Robin Smith, the Yorkshire chairman, hailed the decision as "the greatest day in the history of Yorkshire cricket club" and, in a letter to members, said: "Your club has never before in its 142-year history owned its own freehold ground, nor has it ever previously been in control of the whole of its cricket business. This unsatisfactory position will be remedied with the passing of the EGM motions, putting Headingley in the same position as other major cricket grounds."

As well as paying back the proposed £9 million loan, the club hope to raise £3 million through a ground appeal, both over a 15-year period. Yorkshire also plan to increase the capacity from 17,000 to 20,000 with significant developments of the Grandstand and Kirkstall Lane end, as well as building a new pavilion and media centre.

England captain Michael Vaughan gave the proposal his full support. "I have a huge affection for Headingley," he told the county's website, "which has witnessed my progress into the Yorkshire side and then to the England captaincy. I know that, with members support, the ground will continue to be a worthy home of Yorkshire cricket and a renowned Test match venue."