Northamptonshire County Cricket Club “I love this club and it’s a privilege to sit on the board, and I
know that it’s a huge responsibility to run a county side. We are Northamptonshire’s cricket club, we’d be letting down the whole county if we couldn’t make it work. “In the end we came up with a number of ideas and ended up
selling shares in the club. Each share was £250 so that most people who wanted to, could buy at least one share, and we raised £1.2m. T e county council loaned us another £2m, which I promised them we’d pay back, and we have. T en there was money from major tournaments like the Champions Trophy in 2017 and the 2019 World Cup.
“We also brought in Ray Payne as Chief Executive and he and
his team have played an enormous part in building the commercial side of the business and opening up new revenue opportunities. “Today, we are debt free and have a strong board and manage-
ment team, and I am proud to be stepping down from a club that is in a far better position that when I took over.” Formats like T20 Blast and T e Hundred have their part to play
in the future of cricket, but Gavin is also passionate about helping and supporting smaller clubs, collaborating with the surrounding national counties that don’t have fi rst-class cricket and making sure that they have what they need to carry on producing players, and engaging cricket fans, for the benefi t of the sport as a whole. “New formats, particularly T e Hundred, have had a phenomenal
eff ect, especially on the women’s and girls’ game which is now powering forward,” said Gavin. “But the world is changing quickly and there are really only three countries now – England, Australia and India – that make money from test matches. T e rest struggle to fi ll grounds, it’s a tough ask to get supporters in over fi ve days and keep it fi nancially viable.
“T e decisions cricket makes now will be generational and I want
us to be at the top table for all of that. I know the club is in safe hands with our board, led by Gary Hoff man as our new Chairman, but we can’t aff ord to stand still, or it could all be at risk again. We have to stay relevant to the whole eco-system of cricket and build in succession planning so that Northamptonshire is always part of the conversation.” Gavin got hooked on cricket when he went along with his
father to the Gilette Cup Final against Lancashire in 1976. He then worked for the company that built the Spencer Lounge at the County Ground and from there volunteered to help with the organisation of player benefi t years. His involvement grew and he joined the board of directors 20 years ago. He’s seen some incredible players come and go over those years
and was stumped at fi rst when asked to name the best player he ever saw. “T e fi rst one that comes to mind was Curtley Ambrose, the
West Indian player who was here for a few seasons. I always loved watching Allan Lamb, he was a phenomenal batsman – and more recently, Ben Stokes takes a lot of beating. I also admire Jimmy Anderson for what he achieved and the level he maintained for such a long time. “And the best game I’ve watched? It’s got to be the 2019 World Cup Final at Lords. T at’s my absolute highlight.”
For more information visit
www.nccc.co.uk
ALL THINGS BUSINESS | 28
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