Yorkshire scrap EGM that was called to vote on changes to board structure

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A key meeting of Yorkshire members to vote on changes to the structure of the board has been cancelled, the club have said.

The extraordinary general meeting, which had been due to start at 6pm on Wednesday evening, has been seen as a key step in the county’s governance overhaul in the wake of the Azeem Rafiq racism crisis.

It was also expected that a decision by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on whether to restore international cricket to Headingley this summer would be taken based on the outcome of the EGM.

In a statement released to the PA news agency, a spokesperson for the county said: “Yorkshire County Cricket Club can confirm that it has cancelled the extraordinary general meeting which was to take place on February 2 at Headingley, after it has come to our attention that the meeting was not properly called.

“Specifically, this was a legacy issue as the previous leadership of the Club had failed to ensure registration of the amended Club Rules with the Financial Conduct Authority. The relevant amendments to the Club Rules had been approved overwhelmingly by Members at the March 2020 and March 2021 Annual General Meetings.

“Owing to this failure to register the changes, the Club now understands that the notice of the 2021 meeting and this EGM should properly have been given to Members by post only, rather than by post and electronic means including the YCCC website (as Members had approved by passing the resolution at the 2020 meeting). Accordingly the notices of the meetings at the time they were called – before the registration of the changes with the FCA – were invalid until the FCA registration was completed.

“The club will arrange for a further EGM to be convened as soon as practicable and preferably before the end of this month.

“At that meeting, the proposed changes to the governance of the club will be discussed and voted upon by members.