M.C.C. held its 232nd Annual General Meeting at Lord’s on Wednesday 1st May.
Sangakkara set to become President
The meeting opened with the announcement of former Sri Lanka international Kumar Sangakkara as the next President of M.C.C.
A current member of M.C.C.’s World Cricket committee, Sangakkara has made both a Test and an ODI century at Lord’s, both in 2014. When his one-year term of office begins on 1st October 2019, he will become the first non-British President.
First female Chairman of Cricket
The appointment of former England international Claire Taylor as the Club’s first female Chairman of Cricket was one of a number of further changes approved by Members.
Taylor, who has been a Member since 2003, is currently serving as an elected member of the Main Committee and had a six-year stint chairing the Women’s Cricket sub-committee.
She holds the ODI batting record at Lord’s, 156 not out made against India Women in 2006. Her Honours Boards profile can be read below.
Read Here
£52m redevelopment given green light
Members voted to approve the redevelopment of the Compton and Edrich stands at Lord’s, which are situated at the Nursery End, opposite the Grade II*-listed Pavilion.
The designs for the new stands, drawn up by WilkinsonEyre Architects (twice winners of the RIBA Stirling Prize), received widespread acclaim since their unveiling in the summer of 2018. The project is the largest, most complex and, at £52m, the most expensive, ever undertaken by M.C.C. and work is set to commence on site in late August, after the Specsavers Test Match between England and Australia.
Internal Code of Conduct introduced
Members voted overwhelmingly to approve the inclusion of an internal Code of Conduct (see below), highlighting the Club’s stance that poor behaviour will not be tolerated.
Whilst disciplinary procedures were already included in the Club’s Rules, it was felt that a Code of Conduct, defining in more detail the behaviour expected of MCC Members, is both timely and necessary, reflecting the increasingly diverse profile of the Membership and the current positive period of change for M.C.C.
Members’ Code of Conduct
Cricket owes much of its appeal and enjoyment to the fact that it should be played not only according to the Laws, but also within the Spirit of Cricket. Respect is central to the Spirit of Cricket. Cricket is an exciting game that encourages leadership, friendship and teamwork, which brings together people from different nationalities, cultures and religions.
In the same way, M.C.C. expects that Members respect and support each other, the Club, Lord’s and all who visit or work there. Any conduct demonstrating a failure to show respect, including abusive, discriminatory or inappropriate behaviour or language, will be considered a breach of the Rules of the Club and render a Member liable to expulsion or suspension from the Club as provided by Rule 6 of the Rules of the Club.