Lord MacLaurin to stand down as ECB Chairman

Persuading the Government to move home Test Match cricket from the `A' list to the `B' list of restricted sporting events. This instantly created a much more competitive TV rights market and maximised the value of these rights to the ECB for the benefit of the entire game.

Negotiating a three year television contract in 2001 with Channel 4 and Sky worth £147m over the period 2003-2005 - a 52% increase on the previous contract.

The ECB's annual income has risen from £38m to a projected £65m in 2003. Annual fee payments to the First Class Counties have increased by almost 50% since 1996. Cricket has secured more successful applications for Lottery funding than any other Sport, amounting to over £80m. Currently, the ECB and the Counties between them spend some £7m per annum on grassroots development.

Introduction of Central Contracts and a new England Team management structure to give the England team the best possible resources/opportunity to succeed.

Setting up of a National Academy (in 2001 and 2002 in Adelaide), thereafter, it will be based at the ECB's new purpose-built facility at Loughborough University. The Academy is about identifying and developing the most talented youngsters, and preparing/promoting only the best to the full England Team - such as Simon Jones.

Grassroots cricket has been reinvigorated through the ECB's various development initiatives. 2.68m youngsters/adults played some form of cricket in 2001 (an increase of 6% on the previous year) - and a record number of girls and women, 600,000.

Introduction of a two division First Class Frizzell County Championship and Norwich Union League with promotion and relegation - very popular with spectators, players and sponsors. Also, floodlit cricket with coloured kit and stumps and white balls. In 2003, ECB will be introducing a new 20-over County competition to attract a new, younger audience to the game.

In 2001, the ECB launched its National Strategy for Cricket for the development of the game at all levels, entitled A Cricketing Future for All. This gives cricket a structured framework to develop the game and to achieve our key objective of seeing England ranked number 1 in the world by 2007 - and to win the World Cup by that same date.

Timetable for the Election of a new ECB Chairman:


August 6th      Nominations for Chairman invited
August 27th     Nominations for Chairman close
August 29th     Ballot papers circulated (if more than one candidate)
Sept 12th       Closing date for ballot (ballot conducted by Electoral Reform Society)
Sept 13th       Result of ballot announced
[Seek endorsement of result by all 39 Members of the ECB by Oct. 4th]
October 4th     Result of Chairmanship announced