Yorkshire County Cricket Club chairman resigns
The chairman of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, Steve Denison, has resigned from his role at an “incredibly difficult time” during which he was fined £500,000 for failings relating to the audit of collapsed retailer BHS.
PwC accountant Steve Denison, who was senior partner of PwC’s northern region, had been the cricket club’s chairman since 2015 and a board member since 2012.
Last month, The Financial Reporting Council handed down a record fine of £10m to PwC and Denison agreed not to perform any audit work for 15 years due to the auditing of BHS.
In a statement issued last night, Denison said: “It’s with deep regret that I’m resigning from the board of Yorkshire CCC with immediate effect. Despite enjoying wide-ranging support from the club’s Stakeholders, including 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.”
YCCC had last month said it would make a decision on Denison’s role once it got full details from the FRC.
Reacting to Denison’s resignation, Mark Arthur, Yorkshire County Cricket Club’s chief executive, said: “It is a really sad day, not only for Yorkshire Cricket but for the game as a whole. Steve has achieved so much, both as a Director and Chairman of The Yorkshire County Cricket Club over the last six years. We will greatly miss his input and contribution.
“I’d like to pay a personal tribute to his support of the executive team and we wouldn’t be undertaking the development of the Emerald Stand in conjunction with Leeds Rugby without his significant input.
“The Board will meet in short order to appoint Steve’s successor.”
Denison added: “I love Yorkshire County Cricket Club and am immensely proud of the tiny part I’ve played in its history as well as the wider game. I owe a huge debt to everyone involved in cricket across Yorkshire for their passion, commitment and hard work, and hope one day circumstances will allow me to return to cricket and continue to serve the game.”
