Former England captain Mike Gatting is among a group of high-profile former Middlesex players who have written to members, calling for the club’s chair to resign. The former players say that the club has been “poorly led for too long”.
Gatting’s Concerns Over Coaching Standards
The letter, signed by Gatting, Mark Ramprakash, Mike Selvey, John Emburey, Clive Radley, and Desmond Haynes, states that chair Richard Sykes has rejected calls to commit to standing down. Gatting played for Middlesex between 1975 and 1998.
The letter expresses concern about the club’s current standing. “As former players of Middlesex, we have become increasingly disturbed at the way the club has been allowed to sink to its current level,” the letter says.
The former players are critical of coaching standards. “The players are a product of their environment and in areas where the standard of coaching has been poor, the players have not been sufficiently challenged resulting in inadequate standards becoming the norm, insufficient to compete at the level to which we should aspire.”
Middlesex’s Response and Current Situation
Middlesex declined to respond formally when approached but are open to meeting with the group. The club will begin their campaign in Division Two of the County Championship against Gloucestershire at Lord’s on Friday.
Middlesex are under a new coach after Peter Fulton was appointed in February. Richard Johnson left last June after a run of poor results, and Dane Vilas had been in interim charge since.
- Middlesex are looking into moving away from their current home.
- They have been tenants of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) for 160 years.
- The club was fined for breaches of financial regulations in 2023.
Governance Concerns at the Club
The letter comes at a tumultuous time for the club, following financial issues at Sussex and a reported revolt by former players at Lancashire. Chief executive Andrew Cornish is currently on a leave of absence amid an investigation being carried out by the Cricket Regulator.
The former Middlesex players are critical of the fact that only one member of the club’s board, Steven Finn, has playing experience in first-class cricket. Finn joined the board in 2024. It is understood no other players have applied in recent years.
Radley, Emburey, Selvey and Ramprakash have all had stints as Middlesex president since 2013. Gatting was on the club’s board until recently.
The former players have called on the club’s members to attend this month’s Annual General Meeting to “seek answers”. Middlesex committed to a governance review at a recent members’ forum.
Middlesex have been in the second tier in five of the past six full seasons. The club has been an 11-time county champion.