Clarke and Soper to go head-to-head again

The ECB has confirmed that Giles Clarke and Michael Soper are the only two candidates competing to replace David Morgan as chairman of the board. Sir Bill Morris, the former trade union leader, had earlier withdrawn his candidature after the first ballot between Soper and Clarke ended in a tie with nine votes each.

"The call for nominations for the role of chairman closed on Monday evening [September 3] at 5pm, and two nominations had been received," the ECB said in a statement.

All 18 first-class counties and the MCC will go to a ballot before September 24, with the results expected the next day. The new chairman will begin his role in October and will continue until March 2009. Morgan takes over as the president of the ICC in 2008.

Clarke, the Somerset chairman, was the driving force behind the board's decision to sell TV rights to BSkyB. Soper, currently the deputy to Morgan, also served as the chairman of Surrey.