THE row is hotting up over moves to have Yorkshire County Cricket Club's committee of 12 elected on a first-past-the-post basis instead of the present district representation.

Although some on the committee would privately welcome the change, others are strongly opposed.

The opponents include Scarborough's Robert Hilliam, who represents North District which covers York area.

Geoff Holmes, a Bradford member of Yorkshire CCC, is backing a resolution for the club's annual meeting on March 23 which aims to make the committee re-draft the rules.

If the resolution achieves a straight majority, members will have to give two-thirds support to a rules change motion at next year's annual meeting for it to become effective.

Yorkshire's general committee have already rejected by five votes to four a working party's recommendation that the club itself should press for a first-past-the-post system, but Holmes wants Yorkshire's membership to reverse that decision.

"The present rule of allowing members to vote only for committee representatives in their own district is out of date and is not allowing the right sort of qualified people to get on the committee," he said.

"All four district representatives up for re-election this time are being returned unopposed and this shows the apathy that exists under the present system which attracts parochialism and in a number of ways is holding back the club's development."

The resolution is being proposed by Mirfield-based Philip Akroyd, a committee member for 17 years until resigning his seat towards the end of last season over the threat of cuts to the playing staff.

Akroyd has criticised Paul Ablett, who replaced him on the committee, for seconding the committee's decision to advise members to vote against the change.

"Their statement says that all is well within the committee and that they are all pulling together and now is not the time for change," said Akroyd.

"Can this be the same Paul Ablett who only two years ago proposed a resolution at the annual meeting that the members of Yorkshire CCC have no confidence in the general committee of the club as presently constituted?"

Strongly opposed to any change is West district representative Tony Cawdry, from Elland, who has given 27 years' continuous service on the committee.

Cawdry said he believed that under first-past-the-post the wide representation which the present system allowed would gradually contract until the club became centred on Leeds.

"We would become Leeds City Cricket Club and members should wake up to this possibility," he added.

"Mr Akroyd believes that everyone voting for the same candidates would cut out parochialism, self-interest and apathy and encourage more people to stand but he is completely wrong."

Yorkshire members can vote on the resolution either by postal ballot or in person at the annual meeting at Headingley.

Updated: 11:13 Saturday, March 02, 2002