Crunch time for Lancashire committee (3 Sep 1997)

3 September 1997

Crunch time for Lancs

Lancashire Evening Telegraph

IT'S crunch time for the Lancashire committee at Old Trafford tonight.

They meet to discuss a raft of vital issues which have engulfed the club over the last few weeks.

They include:

A new chairman. Bob Bennett has announced that he will resign next February, but the committee may even elect a successor tonight. Possible contenders are Jack Simmons, John Brewer and Murray Bernie.

A new chief executive to replace John Bower, who left last week. But the committee will also have to decide how to avoid a repeat of the clashes with Bower which led to his departure, caused by confusion between the roles of the chief exec and the committee.

The overseas player. They will study the latest specialist's report on Wasim Akram's shoulder injury. If Wasim is given the all-clear, Lancashire will scrap their bid for Shane Warne, even though Wasim faces another busy winter with Pakistan. The captaincy. Mike Watkinson's fourth season in charge has been undermined by injuries, both to himself and Wasim, but the committee may decide that it is time for a change. In that case Wasim would be the favourite to take over.

Contracts. Jason Gallian is definitely going, although he has been told to fulfil the remainder of his existing contract with the club and was named in the second team for the game at Worcester starting today. Chris Brown is also leaving at his own request but a number of other young players, including Gary Keedy and Richard Green, are expected to get new deals.

Pitches. The committee will discuss their response to Saturday's embarrassment, when the last day of the Roses Match was abandoned in glorious sunshine because heavy overnight rain had got under the covers. Yorkshire have threatened to make an official complaint to Lord's.

The MacLaurin Report. The 18 first class counties met at Lord's yesterday, Bob Bennett representing Lancashire, to discuss the controversial system of three conferences for the Championship. The Lancashire members are not impressed, and would be happier with two divisions to preserve more Championship cricket.

It all adds up to a massive meeting. These are the men who will take the crucial decisions.

Bob Bennett (chairman), Edward Slinger (vice chairman), Paul Allott, Murray Birnie, John Brewer, David Dunkley, Keith Hayhurst, David Hodgkiss, Geoff Ogden, Jack Simmons, Colin Walker, Mike Whelan.

Lancashire were yesterday set to reply to Essex's first day total of 389, dominated by a magnificent 155 off 131 balls from Aussie run machine Stuart Law.

Keedy, making his first championship appearance for two months in place of Watkinson, was the pick of the Lancashire attack with 4-98, his best figures for two years. Today's start was delayed by rain.

Source :: Lancashire Evening Telegraph (https://www.reednews.co.uk/let/)