Philip Sharpe slips into players' presidency

Director of Professional Cricket Martyn Moxon hands over the presidency of Yorkshire County Cricket Club Players Association to Philip Sharpe, the former Yorkshire and England batsmen, at their fifth annual meeting in the Cricket Centre at Headingley Carnegie Cricket Ground on Sunday, March 7.

Philip, who scored 17,865 runs for Yorkshire between 1958 and 1974, and 786 runs in 12 matches for England before seeing out his career with Derbyshire, takes over the presidency from former Yorkshire captain Martyn Moxon, now the club’s Director of Professional Cricket.

Former Yorkshire batsman and England one-day international Jim Love, seen below congratulating Philip,  was confirmed as president-elect, and when he takes office in 2011 he will become the association’s first president to serve for a two-year term. Jim played for Yorkshire between 1975 and 1989, scoring 10,263 runs, and went on to a successful spell as Director of Cricket for Scotland’s national team. The meeting elected first-team batsman Anthony McGrath to the management committee, along with former player Neil Hartley, and honorary membership was bestowed upon Philip Hodson, a former second-team player and generous sponsor of the association, and Wayne Morton, who has been closely connected to the first team for 26 years either as the club's physiotherapist or consultant physiotherapist.

Martyn said his main aim during his year as president had been to get his own generation involved in the association, and he felt that Wayne could be a significant help in that direction:

“Wayne came to be regarded as part of the team through his close connection with us, and he has been very active in helping me to bring younger members’ to association functions. He would regard it as a great honour to be elected an associate member."

Following two successful annual dinners, the association felt able to set up a Discretionary Grant Fund in 2010, and it was agreed to transfer £10,000 from the current account to form the fund's initial investment.

Association treasurer David Ryder, Jim Love and another former batsman, Andrew Dalton, were elected as the three-man Fund Management Subcommittee, each to serve for an initial three-year period, thereafter retiring by rotation and seeking re-election if they so wish. Chairman Bryan Stott said the association were in the process of building up a library of books on Yorkshire cricket for use by the Academy players, so that they could have a deeper understanding of what they were coming into. Bryan appealed to anyone who had books to consider giving them to the association.

Golf events in 2010 for association members are:

• March 30 - Gibson Cup for First and Second XI capped players at Leeds Golf Centre, Shadwell
• September 20 -Tony Nicholson Memorial Tournament at Ripon Golf Club
• October 6 - Phil Carrick Memorial Tournament at Pannal Golf Club. Secretary Geoff Cope said this year marked the 25th anniversary of Tony Nicholson’s death, and he appealed to members to do their best to play in the event or attend the dinner afterwards.

Chairman Bryan and President Philip have something else in common as well as cricket: Bryan is President of Yeadon Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society, who are presenting Gypsy at Yeadon Town Hall from March 16 to 20, and Philip is President of York Light Opera Company, who recently performed The Beauty and the Beast to packed audiences.

Words and Pictures: DAVID WARNER