Close angered by far away Gough

News that Darren Gough is to move house, from Yorkshire to Buckinghamshire has not been well received by fans of the white rose county. Although Gough intends to continue to play for Yorkshire, his move will be interpreted as a sign that his appearances for the club will become ever more rare. Gough, who has recently admitted to receiving hate mail from an anonymous Yorkshire member angered by his lack of games for the county, now finds himself involved in further controversy as one of the elder statesmen of Yorkshire cricket used his move as the platform for an attack on the effect central contracts are having on county cricket.

Brian Close, who scored over 20,000 runs, took nearly 1000 wickets and over 800 catches for Yorkshire in a career spanning three decades said, "They might as well build flats at Lord's and let all the players stay there. It's crackers."

Close believes that English cricket will suffer by removing the international quality players from the championship. "How can youngsters learn when they're not playing against the best?" he asks. "Our championship used to produce the best cricket in the world, and now it's second division stuff.

In an appeal to the counties he urged them to act soon. "They ought to kick up more of a stink before it's too late. It always used to work in the old days. We're losing our best players and it will be the ruination of the county system."

Close is unimpressed by the role of central contracts in England's series victory over West Indies. "They were a very poor side," he states, "with just two bowlers and one batsman. It was a waste of time."