Yorkshire chairman Steve Denison resigns

Yorkshire are to appoint a new chairman after the resignation of Steve Denison over his role in the auditing of collapsed high street chain store British Home Stores.

In June Denison removed himself from the register of statutory auditors for 15 years and accepted a £325,000 fine from the industry watchdog after a highly critical report from the Financial Reporting Council on failings by auditors responsible for approving BHS accounts. He was the senior auditor at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, the accountancy firm that signed off BHS’s accounts when it was sold for £1 by Sir Phillip Green one year before it collapsed. PWC was hit with a record £6.5m fine.

Denison had hoped to continue in his role as Yorkshire chairman but the England & Wales Cricket Board’s ‘Fit and Proper Person’ test states that an individual cannot serve on a board or general committee if they are "subject to any form of suspension, disqualification or striking-off by a professional body".

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Yorkshire and the ECB were waiting on the full publication of the report which happened last week after Green failed in a high court bid to have it blocked.

Denison’s position at Yorkshire was left untenable and Mark Arthur, the club's chief executive, said  the club 'will meet in short order' to appoint a successor.” Denison took over from Colin Graves when he became ECB chairman in 2015.

“It’s with deep regret that I’m resigning from the board of Yorkshire CCC with immediate effect,” said Denison in a statement. “Despite enjoying wide-ranging support from the club’s stakeholders, including its directors, staff and members, I believe the ECB’s regulations mean that I’m unable to remain in post and I don’t want my situation to be a distraction at a time when cricket is going through a crucial period of change.

“It’s been a huge privilege to serve YCCC as a non-executive director since 2012, including the past three as chairman, and to say I’m heartbroken is a massive understatement at what has already been an incredibly difficult time for me and my family.

“On the field, back to back County Championship titles and the continual development and nurturing of fine Yorkshire and England players will forever hold a special place in my heart. I’m also extremely proud of the progress which we have achieved off the field, including sustained growth in membership in each of the past six years, the successful turnaround of the club’s finances, restructuring the board to include the appointment of the first female and South Asian directors in the club’s 155-year history and the ongoing redevelopment of Emerald Headingley, securing its future as a world-class venue that will continue to stage international cricket including the 2019 and 2023 Ashes.”