Devon Cricket Board - Devon chairman appointed to ECB post

Devon chairman appointed to ECB post

DEVON Cricket Board chairman Jim Wood has been elected to the ECB’s 14-strong management board as one of two Directors appointed by the Recreational Assembly.
Wood, who has been DCB chairman since 2005, defeated the Surrey CB chairman, Simon Dyson, and the Warwickshire CB chairman, Mike Williams, in a ballot of the 39 CB chairmen and the chairman of the Recreational Assembly presided over by the Electoral Reform Society.
Wood, who was proposed by Cumbria and seconded by Bedfordshire and Norfolk, succeeds Bob Jackson, who recently announced he is to step down from the ECB Board after 17 years of voluntary service in the un-paid post.
“I am very honoured to have been asked in the first place and that colleagues all over the country felt I was the right person to represent them,” said Wood.
“I was elected on to the Recreational Cricket group in 2011 as one of the two non-First Class county representatives and that was the stepping stone to the ECB Board.
“We are not the guardians of the game – that is the job of the MCC – but as directors are responsible for the business of running cricket in England and Wales.”
Wood (pictured) has campaigned through the Recreational Cricket Group and as Devon chairman for strong grass roots cricket working with other levels of the game.
“I have maintained a philosophy that recreational cricket is best delivered locally within a strong national strategy,” said Wood.
“The role of the ECB should be to empower the cricket network at a local level.
“I have remained true to this view and have constructively challenged the executive when I believe the views of County Boards and those delivering cricket at the sharp end have not been adequately sought and considered.
“The various organisations within cricket should work together to ensure long-term sustainability of our sport.
“I believe we have made progress, but there is further work to be done.
“The essence of this improvement has to be based on strengthening the relationship between those in the recreational game and the ECB.
“Ensuring the priorities are shared and the channels of communication are improved, is the basis of delivering the outcomes that are right for cricket.”
Wood’s term of office will run from next month’s ECB annual meeting until 2017.
The married father of two – son Matt has just been appointed to a staff development job with Nottinghamshire – has been an Exmouth member for more than 35 years.
He served a term as Exmouth chairman between 1988-2005, adding the chairmanship of the DCB in 2004
Wood has retained his link with Exmouth and in 2011 was appointed club president.
Devon have had representation on the ECB management board before. Roger Moylan-Jones was in at the start in 1997 as a representative of Minor Counties Cricket.
Moylan-Jones, who was DCB chairman until 2004 and Devon CCC chairman from 1995-2010, remained involved as a trustee of the England and Wales Cricket Trust, which distributes charitable funds from the ECB.

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