Scarborough Cricket Club board resigns ahead of crunch meeting
THE board of Scarborough Cricket Club has resigned ahead of a meeting that was to have decided its fate.
John Spencer, whose company NIC is the main club sponsor; Mark Arthur, the former Yorkshire chief executive, and Neil Duell have stepped down – along with co-opted members David O’Malley, Adrian Vipond and Tony Walsh.
Laura Edmunds, the club’s chief executive, is also leaving.
The news comes prior to a Special General Meeting (SGM) at the North Marine Road ground on Sunday, triggered in protest at the way the club has been run.
That meeting will still proceed as its purpose was not only to vote for the removal or otherwise of board members who have now resigned, but also to vote for the appointment or otherwise of those primed to take their place – and whose concerns activated the SGM under club rules.
Five men are seeking to form a new board – the former Scarborough players and businessmen Darren Barton, Neil Fletcher, Robert Harrison, Luke Jarvis and Tim Watts.
Their call for an SGM – initially rejected by the board, which responded with legal letters – was backed by 91 signatories including Yorkshire batsman Adam Lyth and the former Yorkshire captains David Byas and Craig White.
Only four of the five prospective board members have been included on the SGM voting form, though, recently sent out to members.
That is because Harrison is currently suspended, with the former board taking action against him and also Sir Geoffrey Boycott, the club president, over the alleged receipt and sharing, respectively, of confidential information during a telephone conversation following a virtual board meeting.
They also referred both men to the independent Cricket Regulator and to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in a move that the rebels called “petty and vindictive”.
It is unclear whether Harrison could still be voted in at Sunday’s meeting, which will now be presided over by club trustees, but his suspension, and that of Boycott, would be lifted should the rebels prevail, and Boycott given another year as president.
News of the board resignations – which follow those of Kevin Grace and Louise Hanks, whose names inappropriately appear on the voting papers – is perhaps surprising given that it was just a few days ago that the board issued an impassioned defence of its record to members.
Contained within the SGM papers, seen by The Yorkshire Post, was effectively a four-page rebuttal to the business to be transacted at that meeting - namely, the rebels’ concerns over the recent loss of the Scarborough first team; financial losses of around £175,000 in 2023/2024; ticket price rises and alleged neglect of facilities and disregard of members.
Describing this as “a pivotal moment” in which “we can choose division or we can choose to continue building the strong, inclusive, sustainable club that Scarborough deserves”, the board’s rebuttal claimed that “some of the allegations presented are vague and the supporting evidence contains inaccuracies or is incomplete”.
It went on: “We must say this sincerely and with disappointment: the behaviours, rumours and accusations directed towards the current board and team have at times been deeply unfair, unfounded and personally damaging.
“These actions do not reflect the values of a members’ club and they carry risks – both reputational and legal – that no organisation should be exposed to. We believe strongly that Scarborough Cricket Club is better than this and we hope we can move forward together with mutual respect.”
And yet, just a few days later, they have all gone, with the proxy vote still to be finalised – the deadline is noon on Friday – and with the “pivotal moment” having taken a twist.