Soper and Clarke in ECB chairman contest

The ECB has received nominations from two candidates to succeed David Morgan as ECB chairman when he becomes ICC president next year. Giles Clarke, the Somerset chairman, and Mike Soper, the ECB deputy chairman, will now contest a ballot of all first-class county chairmen and chairman of the MCC.

The favourite is Soper, the former chairman of Surrey, who has been proposed and seconded by Sussex and Derbyshire. Clarke, Somerset's often outspoken chairman, was the driving force behind the board's decision to sell TV rights to BSkyB.

On the face of it, Soper's candidacy is surprising given his ongoing health problems. Diagnosed with bone cancer, Soper was given six months to live in 2001 but has battled through and now believes he has at least four years left. He optimistically says he's been assured "that within that time a vaccine will come out".

"I'm trying out different drugs," he told The Guardian. "Some work, some fail - they've put me on a steroid which means I have to go to the gym every day. But I will die of bone cancer, so you can see why I've become passionate. This is my final ambition but this would be only the start because there are so many things I want to do within the game."

Soper unsuccessfully challenged for the post in 1997 when he lost out to Lord MacLaurin, and there is no doubting his passion for the game and his initiatives while at Surrey were bold and, in the main, successful.

"I still love the four- and five-day games but I believe you've got to get the youngsters to watch. I started watching when I was eight or nine with my dad. I wasn't prepared to sit there for three days and kids today won't either. I want to get young people in - even free of charge if necessary - because everyone remembers his first game. Then they come back."

There was talk that Bill Morris, the former union leader, had been asked to throw his hat into the ring but yesterday he ended speculation by announcing he was not standing.

A decision on who will replace Morgan will be announced on August 28.