Graves and Hilliard want No 2 role

By Paul Bolton, County News Correspondent

Two county chairmen are in a fight to succeed Dennis Amiss as deputy chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board. Yorkshire chairman Colin Graves and Nigel Hilliard, his opposite number at Essex, have put their names forward to become number two to ECB chairman Giles Clarke.

No further candidates are expected to emerge before nominations close on February 8, which means that there will be a vote of the 18 first-class counties plus the MCC. Ratification of the successful candidate will then be required by the full ECB membership.

Amiss, who narrowly beat then Lancashire chairman Jack Simmons in an election in 2007, will step down in April after six years as ECB deputy chairman.

Graves has already written a two-page letter - effectively a manifesto - to the counties plus MCC outlining his plans. He believes that the deputy chairman should be proactive rather than a figurehead role and cites his considerable business experience as well as running a Test match county as reasons why he should be elected.

Graves stepped down as chairman of Costcutter last summer having launched the supermarket chain in 1986 and developed it into a 1,700-store national franchise.

His personal wealth has also underwritten Yorkshire at a particularly difficult time for the county and he has become an increasingly influential voice since he joined the ECB board in 2010. Graves nominated Clarke when he was re-elected as ECB chairman last February.

Hilliard, who has been Essex chairman since 2001, has also enjoyed a successful business career having joined the family haulage business at 16. He played club cricket to a high standard and also appeared for Essex’s second team.

Hilliard is also known to be a close ally of Clarke’s and the election for deputy chairman will reveal whether that is considered to be an advantage or, indeed, a major hindrance.

 

Date: 31/01/2013 06:00:00 by Paul Bolton
In: Yorkshire | Today | Essex |