Warwickshire AGM: Members’ warm welcome for new Club President Amiss

Warwickshire Members gathered at Edgbaston Stadium tonight for a landmark AGM that saw Bears legend Dennis Amiss appointed Club President.

Amiss – who spent his entire 27-year career with Warwickshire and is the Club’s leading first class run scorer – was met with warmth and applause as around 100 Members ratified the move to award him the honorary title.

The 79-year-old retired from playing in 1987 before taking up the post of Cricket Committee Chair at Warwickshire and later Chief Executive between 1994 and 2006.

He replaces outgoing President Charles Finch-Knightley, the 12th Earl of Aylesford, who had held the position since 2008.

“It has been a great privilege to be President over so many years and a lot of fun,” he said. “I’ve been coming to Edgbaston for around 65 years but I feel now is time to draw stumps.

“In Dennis Amiss you couldn’t have a better replacement and I wish him and the Club every success going forward.”

Current Chief Executive Stuart Cain reflected on the outcome of the Andrew Strauss High Performance Review and looked ahead to the new season, including the imminent appointment of a new Performance Director.

He told members: “We’ll be appointing a Performance Director, not a traditional Director of Cricket. We want the person to focus on high performance outputs and to get the best out of our players.

“We’ve not moved away from our principles but we want someone who understands the changing face of modern cricket, the increasing influence of the franchise game, and the mindset of contemporary players.

“The squad is in a good place, we’ve strengthened well over the winter and I’m looking forward to the new season.”

The AGM saw long-standing Board members Michelle Leavesley and John Dodge formally step down from their roles having reached the maximum nine-year tenure, while Paul Doona also retired from the Board.

They are replaced by new faces Louise Jones and Dominic Wong – who together bring more than 50 years’ combined business leadership experience – plus Tracey Orr who was on the Board previously in a one-year co-opted capacity.

Several Club rule changes were also confirmed at the AGM:

• The Club’s financial year will change to end on 31 December. This has been done to allow the executive team more time to plan budgets, with greater certainty, during the off-season.
• The Nominations Committee is to become a sub-committee of the Board rather than a standalone committee.
• The Club has introduced compliance with the Club’s Code of Conduct for members, rather than being limited to the Ground Rules, to ensure the Board has the necessary authority to deal with any inappropriate behaviour.
• Agreement of security obligations. A new clause was inserted in the Club rules in anticipation of the funders security requirements in relation to the financing of a potential new stand and hotel at the stadium.
• The transitional arrangements previously set out in Rules 18.10 and 21.8 have been deleted because they are no longer relevant or required.