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Colin James Graves CBE (born 22 January 1948) is a British entrepreneur and the current chair of Yorkshire County Cricket Club. Graves founded the Costcutter chain of convenience stores, before serving as Chairman of the ECB. Biography CBE insignia
- Overview
- Graves: Yorkshire will run out of cash in September without new investment
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Colin Graves says he never witnessed racism at Yorkshire during his time at the club and claims they are now at risk of administration after withdrawing his offer to return as chairman.
The founder of Costcutter was the executive chairman of Yorkshire between 2012 and 2015, after he helped save the club from financial trouble in 2002.
Graves was keen on returning as Yorkshire chair but last week withdrew his application and criticised the length of time it has taken for the club to name a successor to Lord Patel, who stepped down in March.
His first stint as chairman overlapped with Azeem Rafiq's spell at the club, a period in which the club have now admitted they failed to address the systemic use of racist and or discriminatory language.
The Rafiq racism scandal has hit Yorkshire hard financially with the club incurring £3.5m costs in exceptional expenditure over the past two years.
Yorkshire made a £2.2m loss in their 2022 accounts and chief executive Stephen Vaughan highlighted a £3.5m cash shortfall arising later this year.
Yorkshire also owe Graves' family trust - which is managed by independent trustees - nearly £15m following his bailout of the club in 2002 and that is due to be repaid in full in the autumn of 2024.
Graves says he was ready to negotiate an extension on that payment had he returned as chair and was also prepared to become a guarantor in "the worst scenario" to help the club's financial footing.
"The first thing I would do I would talk to that trust and the trustees to virtually try and get firstly a three-year extension on that, so it gives us breathing space to make sure we can make the right decisions, bring the new investment in which is required," said Graves, who was also chair of the ECB from 2015 until 2020.
"From what I gather the trustees and the family trust have no problem of exiting as and when that time is right. And that's virtually what I would do.
Former Yorkshire chairman Colin Graves says he never witnessed racism at the club and withdrew his offer to return after criticism. He claims the club is at risk of administration and disputes the charges of institutional racism.
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Feb 4, 2024 · Former Yorkshire chairman Colin Graves has been approved by club members to take over the debt-ridden county, despite his role in the racism scandal. Graves apologised for his past mistakes and pledged to create a inclusive culture at the club, while facing scrutiny from the ECB and the select committee.
Jan 4, 2024 · Ex-Yorkshire chair Colin Graves' return to the club would be "a disaster", says a member of the Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) select committee. Graves has revealed his ownership offer was...
Jan 10, 2024 · Colin Graves' potential return as Yorkshire chair would "undermine progress made" to tackle racism in cricket, Sporting Equals has said. Reports have suggested that Graves, 75, is in exclusive...
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Jan 11, 2024 · Colin Graves has apologised for the Yorkshire racism scandal as he looks set to return to power at the club. A takeover deal from a consortium led by former chairman Graves has been...
Mar 23, 2022 · Former Yorkshire chairman Colin Graves has told the BBC he has backed crucial changes to the club's rules, and that the county "needs to move on". The England and Wales Cricket Board says the...
