Latest news with #MarkNicholas
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
The Hundred set for 'enormous boost' after ECB decision and new 'silver bullet'
MCC, the organisation of which Nicholas is chair, kept its 51 per cent stake in London Spirit, with Cricket Investor Holdings Limited, a consortium of US-based tech entrepreneurs, snapping up the rest. Mark Nicholas believes the incoming injection of private funding into the Hundred will give the competition 'an enormous boost' and help address the fact it has 'eased off'. The ECB sold its 49 per cent stake in each of the eight competing teams earlier this year, with host clubs then deciding how much of their stake to retain. MCC, the organisation of which Nicholas is chair, kept its 51 per cent stake in London Spirit, with Cricket Investor Holdings Limited, a consortium of US-based tech entrepreneurs, snapping up the rest. London Spirit was valued at £295million, the most of any team, and Nicholas – who was on the board of Southampton-based Southern Brave before moving to Lord's – is excited to see how the investment takes the competition to new heights. 'It's interesting that it seems to have eased off a bit,' he said. 'If you'd asked me at the end of the first year, I'd have said 'eureka'. I was astonished, and the impact on the women's game in particular was fantastic. I can't quite get why audiences have gone down a bit, but I like The Hundred, I like the format, I think it's a bit more nuanced than T20. I am a big fan of it. 'I think it will get the most enormous boost next year. Once these private owners take over and you suddenly get that 'brand feel' to each of the franchises, their own marketing impact and fan engagement modelling, I have no doubt the tournament will be really successful here. 'It will be a great venture. Whether it can be the silver bullet, I don't know, but I think it will be a very strong product for English cricket in the years to come.' Nicholas was speaking ahead of the second World Cricket Connects forum at Lord's, at which franchise cricket will be among the topics debated by a collection of key figures from within the sport as well as external commercial voices. Other themes including the state of the game, women's cricket and 'is cricket cool?' will be up for discussion at Lord's, while Australia captain Pat Cummins will be interviewed as part of a panel surrounding climate issues in cricket. 'This year is a little bit more driven by the business of the game,' he said. 'Last year we had the likes of Kevin Pietersen, Jos Buttler and Brendon McCullum, whereas this year we have gone for big players in the various markets. 'That was to some degree driven by the ICC wanting some input to the event but driven more by our thinking that it needed a different angle this year. 'There are still big names who will be speaking – Kumar Sangakkara, Sourav Ganguly, Andrew Strauss. We really did have some exceptional presentations last time and I think we are well on course to have the same this year.' World Cricket Connects is an initiative dedicated to bringing together cricket stakeholders from around the world to discuss and shape the future of the sport. Through events, discussions, and collaborations, World Cricket Connects aims to foster innovation, inclusivity, and sustainability in cricket.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
MCC to address 'ridiculous' gender divide at AGM
Founded in 1787, the MCC has been based at Lord's since 1814 [Getty Images] The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is set to formulate plans to drastically increase the number of women among its members as it attempts to address what senior club figures have called a "ridiculous" gender divide. A discussion on the subject of female membership has been slated on the agenda for the club's annual general meeting (AGM) at Lord's on Wednesday. The MCC voted to allow women to join the club in 1998, having been an all-male preserve for more than two centuries. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement But of its current 18,350 full members, fewer than 3% are women. At a pre-AGM meeting last month, leading MCC committee figures were left exasperated at just how slow progress has been. Sources at the MCC have since told BBC Sport it is "frankly ridiculous" that so few members are women and the issue is one the club cannot ignore but must "meet head on". Frustrations have centred on how to make non-playing membership available to more women, with the club largely hamstrung by a lengthy waiting list which stands at approximately 29 years. A paper has been prepared in advance of the AGM and the meeting will be used as a platform to discuss the issue, gather the views of members and devise a model to reduce the gender divide. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement While the AGM will test the water, it is understood leading MCC figures are resolutely determined to develop practical solutions. That could eventually include a new membership category, or shorter waiting times, for women to make a dent into the gender imbalance. Any such proposals would need the approval of members, with the notion of 'queue jumping' likely to have some detractors. At the current rate, the MCC will achieve a 80-20% male-to-female ratio by the year 2075 which internally has been deemed unacceptable. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement MCC chief executive Rob Lawson, chair Mark Nicholas and president Lord King are said to be among those who have made the issue a priority. The MCC has already stepped up efforts to increase the number of women among its playing members - essentially a way for candidates to fast-track themselves to membership by representing the club in fixtures. In 2024 there was a 77% increase in women applying to qualify as player members while the number of women's out-matches played by the MCC increased by 34%. A dedicated recruitment officer for women's playing members - Emma Marsh - was appointed in 2024. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement England's women have never played a Test match at Lord's - the Home of Cricket - although one is scheduled against India at the ground in 2026. The MCC's workforce is closer to an even split, with 60% of its employees male and 40% of them female. In June 2023, the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) said in its report that the MCC had a pivotal role to play in eradicating sexism from the game.
BreakingNews.ie
06-05-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
Man pleads guilty after extradition to Ireland from Greece on sex offences involving girl
A man with an address in the midwest region has been remanded in custody after gardaí extradited him to Ireland from Greece on sex offences involving a female child. The man, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, appeared before Limerick Circuit Criminal Court on Tuesday. Advertisement The man, who was returned for trial on 31 separate charges including sexual assault on a child, sexual exploitation of a child, and possessing 'child pornography', pleaded guilty to six sample counts, including three counts of sexually assaulting a girl, two counts of sexual exploitation of the girl, and one count of 'child pornography'. The man's barrister, senior counsel Mark Nicholas, told the court that the man was 'in custody' for the purposes of him appearing in court after he was 'brought to Limerick'. Prosecuting barrister John O'Sullivan BL told the court the man had been 'extradited back from Greece'. The offences occurred on dates between January and December 2014, the court heard. Advertisement Mr O'Sullivan said the man's six guilty pleas were 'acceptable to the State on a full facts basis' in respect of the 31 offences brought against him on the indictment. Mr O'Sullivan said the victim was entitled to her right to anonymity, and that the 'issue of publicity' in respect of the defendant's identify could be finalised at his sentencing hearing, but he said that, at this juncture, the man should not be identified. The man's barrister asked the court to extend legal aid to cover the cost of a written report by the man's psychological counsellor, as well as a report by an independent forensic psychologist. Judge Colin Daly granted the application and he ordered that the defendant be placed on a national 'sex offenders register'. Advertisement The 'duration' of the man's placement on the register will be determined at his sentencing hearing, the judge said. The judge imposed a ban on any details that might identify the victim or the accused. Ireland Armagh All-Ireland winner Aidan Nugent appears in... Read More Judge Daly also directed that any 'lay persons' who were present in the court were 'also subject' to the court order, meaning they must 'not identity' any of the parties. The man's barrister told the court that the defendant wished to offer an apology to the victim. The victim, who was accompanied in court by members of her family, did not speak during the brief hearing. Judge Daly remanded the defendant in custody for sentencing before Limerick Circuit Criminal Court on July 21st.
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Norfolk's world-famous malting barley in the spotlight at county show
The story of Norfolk's world-famous malting barley will be highlighted to thousands of youngsters visiting the 2025 Royal Norfolk Show. The crop - beloved by brewers, craft beer makers and whisky distillers across the globe - will be the central feature of the Discovery Zone when the show returns to the Norfolk Showground on June 25 and 26. Norfolk processor Crisp Malt, based at Great Ryburgh near Fakenham, will help explain how the crop is grown, and its key role in food and drink production. The exhibit is part of the 2025 show's central theme of "Celebrating Norfolk Food and Drink". Mark Nicholas, managing director of show organisers the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association (RNAA), said: "Norfolk produces the best malting barley in the world, and that will be the theme for the kids going around the Discovery Zone. "By the way, we are on course to exceed last year's number of school children visiting the show, it will be in excess of 12,500, which is quite extraordinary. "We are working closely with Crisp Malt to deliver a really interesting showcase on how malting barley is grown and how it is used in food and drink production process." The show's education offerings extend to the neighbouring STEMM Village, now in its third year, which will explore how science, technology, engineering, maths, and medicine are influencing the global food chain. From cutting-edge agricultural methods to advances in biosciences, engineering and clean energy, exhibitors will explain how their work is improving sustainability, nutrition, health and production. Norfolk-based farming charity the Clan Trust has donated £10,000 towards this year's STEMM Village and Discovery Zone, which it says play an "important role in inspiring and educating the next generation about agriculture, science, and technology". "Supporting the educational aspects of the show aligns with the Clan Trust's mission to encourage and inspire young people to pursue careers in agriculture and related industries," said a charity spokesman. "We believe that by investing in these opportunities, we can help secure the future of farming and rural life across Norfolk." For more details and tickets see .
Telegraph
14-02-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Lord's Hundred franchise weigh up egg-and-bacon kit colours
The Lord's Hundred franchise could change its name and take to the field in Marylebone Cricket Club's egg-and-bacon colours as the side enters into a new era. England used to tour abroad sporting the instantly recognisable red and yellow of MCC on their whites until the winter of 1996-97, and now the same colours could be sported by a side in the newest format of the sport. The Hundred teams have been sold off in a series of auctions earlier this month at a £975 million valuation and will bring an initial £520 million into the game, although the deals are not yet fully complete. All that has been bought so far is an eight-week exclusivity window between the buyers and the host venues. On Friday, MCC emailed all of their members with details of the sale of 49 per cent of the Lord's Hundred franchise to the Silicon Valley consortium, dubbed the 'Tech Titans', for upwards of £145 million or officially Cricket Investor Holdings Limited. London Spirit were valued at £295 million in the auction, with the remaining 51 per cent belonging, at least for the foreseeable future, to MCC. In a letter to all of its members, MCC chair Mark Nicholas said both the club and the Tech Titans have 'maintained an open mind on whether or not to continue with the London Spirit name'. He added: 'There are advantages in using the name of the Club, MCC; the name of the Ground, Lord's; and the name of our home city, London; the latter may give us the greatest traction as we look to grow the franchise and its brand. 'Team colours have also been the subject of discussion and we are leaning towards using MCC colours in the livery.' Such decisions would require approval from the England and Wales Cricket Board. The MCC also did not rule out the prospect of a future sale of the organisation's 51 per cent stake in the side. 'We are committed to retaining MCC's 51 per cent stake for the time being but, as noted in the SGM papers, we will keep under review whether and if so, when, to sell some, or all, of this stake,' the letter said. However, if the committee decided to make any further sale it would be the 'intention' to seek the members' approval, which would be expected to happen 'through a formal process'. MCC being part of the Lord's-based franchise was something that attracted the Silicon Valley consortium, according to the club. Any alterations to names or team kit is not expected to take place until 2026, with the ECB viewing the 2025 edition of the tournament as a transitional season.
