Griffith named MCC president

MCC president Phillip Hodson has announced the club's Ground Working Party would develop a new "masterplan" for the future of Lord's.

The issue of potential redevelopment at Lord's has been hugely divisive, with former Prime Minister John Major resigning from the club committee over the way the matter has been handled.

And at today's AGM, Hodson decided the strength of feeling on the issue was such that it was not necessary to put a resolution to members on not to permit any residential development on the club's leasehold land.

Hodson said: "MCC needs to look to the future. I want Derek Brewer - as of tomorrow our new chief executive - and Colin Maber, who worked so well together developing Trent Bridge, to produce a development plan dovetailing with the club's strategic plan.

"I have total confidence in the Ground Working Party because it has already done a substantial amount of valuable work.

"It has a good and equal balance of talents - two from estates, two from finance and four from the executive - and has already done considerable work to look at the club's options.

"No-one knows better than our dedicated and experienced executive what MCC needs and I know that they and the Ground Working Party will come up with a masterplan that is in the very best interests of the club."

MCC chairman Oliver Stocken, whose reappointment for a further three years was approved today, said: "The club's number one priority is to provide, in Lord's, the finest stage for Test cricket in the world, and central to any masterplan will be the need to ensure Lord's remains the very best place to play and watch the game."

Meanwhile, former Sussex captain Mike Griffith has been appointed as the next president of the MCC.

Griffith played for both England and Great Britain at hockey and is the only person to have played both first-class cricket and international hockey at Lord's. He will take up his new role on October 1.