The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has ruled out buying or investing in crisis-hit Middlesex, their tenants at Lord's, as the county begins another season in turmoil. A group of former players, led by ex-England captain Mike Gatting, has called for chairman Richard Sykes to resign in an open letter, citing poor on-field performance and long-standing financial and governance issues, claiming Middlesex are 'drifting towards irrelevance'.
Despite MCC's annual revenues of around £70 million, a takeover has been mooted but will not happen under current leadership. MCC remains committed to extending Middlesex's lease and providing help where possible, but there is no business case for direct financial assistance or greater involvement. Mahdi Choudhury, MCC's membership secretary, was seconded as interim chief operating officer after the suspension of Middlesex CEO Andrew Cornish, but returns this month. Cornish is on leave pending a Cricket Regulator investigation into misconduct allegations, which he denies.
Middlesex's financial woes are compounded by their inability to access the £24 million they are theoretically owed from the ECB's part-sale of the Hundred franchises. The ECB insists counties use the funds only to clear debt or for infrastructure projects; Middlesex has no debt despite recent losses, and £24 million is insufficient for a proposed second home ground. A joint venture with American investors was blocked by the ECB last year as it would breach the County Partnership Agreement, risking loss of ECB funding, which accounts for 60% of Middlesex's income.
Middlesex is exploring private ownership through demutualisation, but this requires a 75% majority vote from at least 50% of members, which Sykes described as 'a challenge, both logistically and emotionally'. The club begins the season in Division Two of the County Championship for the third consecutive year, the eighth time in nine seasons they have been in the second tier. Sykes may face a vote of no confidence at the annual general meeting on 15 April.
