Cork has final word in county crisis

AN EXTRAORDINARY uprising within the traditionally passive ranks of cricket supporters brought about the resignation of an entire county committee yesterday and struck what should be the final blow in a long- running power struggle involving the England all-rounder, Dominic Cork.

The 14-strong body elected to run Derbyshire cricket agreed to step down en bloc after a heavy defeat in a vote of no confidence. The process of putting a new committee in place has already begun, but it is likely to be three months before they convene.

The chairman, Trevor Bowring, announced the decision yesterday after an extraordinary general meeting on Monday night voted 501 to 348 to support the no-confidence motion.

"Having acknowledged the vote by members of the club, the whole committee have agreed to resign en bloc," Bowring's statement read.

Nine days ago, in a final attempt at self-preservation, the committee performed an about-turn on Cork, the club captain. Having previously refused his demands for greater authority, they handed him a new four-year contract with a guarantee of the captaincy for at least two seasons. At the same time Andy Hayhurst, the club's coaching develop- ment manager and one of Cork's main adversaries, left the club "by mutual consent".

But neither development persuaded members to withdraw their no-confidence motion. Indeed, the last 18 months of turmoil have seen the county go through three chairmen, three captains and they are about to appoint a third coach, as well as losing three of their best players.

Matters came to a head in January when Cork, who had been omitted from England's World Cup squad because of his dispute with the club, threatened to resign the captaincy and quit the county.

Members who had watched as Chris Adams, Devon Malcolm and Kim Barnett left Derbyshire, decided enough was enough and petitioned for Monday's special meeting.

David Griffin, one of those behind the no-confidence vote, said members had become angry at being treated as a "rabble" by a committee with "no respect for our views".

"We knew there was a problem between Cork and the committee," Griffin said. "He had taken the captaincy on the understanding that he had full authority, but his proposals for 1999 were rejected.

"Some of the members who attended a Development Forum at the County Ground last November asked to be told what the situation was with Cork but the committee refused to discuss it."

Griffin and others then arranged a private meeting of interested members, to which 150 people turned up. The meeting identified Hayhurst, who had previously been first-team coach and director of cricket, and former player Harold Rhodes as having undermined Cork's authority and voted 115-5 for Rhodes "to be invited to resign" from the cricket committee.

"Rhodes refused to go and we were dismissed as rabble rousers who should be ignored," Griffin said. "That was the last straw. There was a groundswell of thorough disenchantment among the members over how the club was being run."

Griffin, a Derbyshire member for 25 years, believes the unrest dates back to the resignation of former captain Dean Jones, the Australian Test batsman who quit mid-season in 1997 after dressing-room rows in which Cork figured prominently. "There have been certain people on the committee who have been anti-Dominic Cork and anti-Kim Barnett," he said.

The crisis has led to Les Stillman being removed as first-team coach, to be replaced by Hayhurst, and to Barnett being fined pounds 1,500 over public comments he made in response to allegations levelled by Jones.

Hayhurst began last season as director of cricket with Cork as captain, but the two clashed and Hayhurst moved away from the first team to take charge of development midway through the season. However, he retained his place on the cricket committee.

Cork wanted to cut the existing playing staff to make room for new senior players, but instead the committee renewed all expiring contracts and took on two club cricketers, against Cork's wishes. Cork also wanted Barnett to be appointed first-team coach.

Cork said last October he would resign if Hayhurst and Rhodes were not removed from their positions and promised to go through with his threat in January. Barnett had by then been sacked, but Cork's request to be released was refused and he was told he had to see out the remaining four years of his playing contract.

The chairman, Vic Brownett, at the helm since Mike Horton stepped down in the wake of the Jones crisis, subsequently resigned. Then came this month's volte-face with Cork offered new terms and guaranteed authority. "We saw this for what it was," Griffin said, "a cynical attempt at damage limitation."

Griffin said he was "delighted that the no-confidence vote had been a success and that the committee had resigned" but confessed that it had not been his intention at the outset to overthrow them. "The aim was just to get some answers," he said. In the meantime, the former Derbyshire player Colin Wells is set to be appointed first-team coach.