Middlesex County Cricket Club CEO Andrew Cornish has taken a leave of absence from the club following an allegation of misconduct by another member of staff.
The Guardian has learned that Middlesex have transferred the complaint to the Cricket Regulator, which has launched an investigation into the matter.
Cornish is said to have left the club ten days ago. Middlesex declined to comment when approached by The Guardian, but the club’s board is expected to inform staff of Cornish’s absence on Monday.
Cornish denies any inappropriate conduct and claims he is unaware of the details of any complaints made against him. He also declined to comment when contacted by the Guardian, but is understood to have told colleagues within cricket that he has taken some time away from Middlesex for personal reasons.
The Cornish investigation has come at a critical time for Middlesex, who will meet members at Lord’s on Tuesday in a separate meeting for talks about the club’s future. As The Guardian revealed in August, Middlesex have received offers from two international investment groups over a financing deal that would see the club build a permanent home away from Lord’s. Securing outside investment could require Middlesex to take the club into private ownership, which would require the approval of their members in a formal vote.
Cornish has led the investment process and would normally have presented the club’s plans to members. The club’s chairman, Richard Sykes, is expected to take the lead at the members’ forum on Tuesday.
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The Cricket Regulator is an independent disciplinary and compliance body established in 2022 by the England and Wales Cricket Board after the governance system was criticized by MPs following complaints of racism from former Yorkshire cricketer Azeem Rafiq.
Middlesex has faced two other recent investigations from the newly formed regulator.
In September 2023, Middlesex were fined £50,000 and given a suspended points deduction by the Cricket Discipline Commission, the body that hears cases after the regulator laid charges, after being found guilty of spending central funding allocated for grassroots programs on the first team.
In June 2024, the club was charged by the regulator after receiving complaints about the alleged conduct of a senior member of staff. In November 2024, Middlesex was cleared of inappropriate conduct following a disciplinary hearing by the CDC. It is believed that complaint was not about Cornish.
Cornish was appointed by Middlesex four years ago after initially joining the club as a consultant in September 2020. He was previously chief executive at Somerset, who sacked him in 2019 over concerns about the club’s financial performance.
The Cricket Regulator declined to comment on the Cornish investigation.
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