Former England captain Clare Connor takes charge as MCC's first female President

Former England captain Clare Connor took charge as the president of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) on Friday. She also becomes the first woman ever to hold the post in the 234-year-old history of the club.

Her nomination was announced by her predecessor, former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara at the Annual General Meeting in 2020. Clare now takes over from Sangakkara after his term was extended to two years because of Covid-19 pandemic. Clare, who is currently the ECB`s Managing Director of Women`s Cricket, was made an Honorary Life Member of MCC in 2009.

"I am truly honoured to be MCC President and would like to thank Kumar Sangakkara for putting his faith in me to deliver this enormously important role, for the good of the sport I have loved all my life. I will try to bring my range of experiences from the dressing room and the boardroom to support, influence and work alongside the Club`s leadership and committees over the next 12 months. I am really looking forward to being part of the MCC team," said Clare in a statement by the MCC.

Clare made her England debut in 1995 as a 19-year-old. She took over the captaincy of England in 2000, leading England at Lord`s against Australia a year later. An all-rounder who bowled left-arm spin, Connor led England women`s team to their first Ashes triumph in 42 years, overseeing a 1-0 series win in 2005.

After retiring from the game shortly after winning the Ashes, Clare moved towards developing the women`s and girls` game. As the ECB`s Managing Director of Women`s Cricket she oversaw the introduction of central contracts for England women`s players in 2014, the ICC World Cup win in front of a full house at Lord`s in 2017 and the introduction of professional contracts for female domestic cricketers in 2020.

Apart from Clare, Bruce Carnegie-Brown has taken charge as the sixth Chairman of the MCC. Carnegie-Brown has been a full member of the MCC since 1997 and joined the Club`s Finance committee in October 2019.

"It is a privilege to be MCC`s next Chairman and to increase my involvement with such a special Club.I look forward to working with the Club`s Members to ensure that the Home of Cricket continues to provide a world class venue and warm welcome to players and visitors from around the country and internationally. On behalf of the Club`s membership, I would like to express my gratitude to my predecessor, Gerald Corbett who did an outstanding job of leading the Club through the pandemic, while also overseeing the construction of the fabulous new Compton and Edrich stands, which opened this summer."

--IANS

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