Middlesex chair Richard Sykes is set to resign in the latest change of leadership at the beleaguered county club, capping months of pressure from members and former players who accused the leadership of presiding over years of decline. The Guardian has learned that Sykes has told the board of his decision to quit after three years as chair, with members to be informed later this week. His departure follows repeated calls from ex-players led by the former Middlesex and England captain Mike Gatting for him to stand down, and marks the third senior departure at the club inside four months. Sykes's impending exit will follow that of Andrew Cornish, who was dismissed as chief executive in June after the club received a complaint about his alleged behaviour from a fellow member of staff, which he denies. The England and Wales Cricket Board's cricket disciplinary committee is understood to have upheld misconduct charges brought against Cornish, but he has launched an appeal so the decision has yet to be made public. ## A Club Condemned by Its Own Legends The pressure on Sykes peaked on the eve of the county season in April, when a group of distinguished Middlesex veterans wrote an open letter condemning the running of the club. Alongside Gatting, the signatories included the former West Indies batter Desmond Haynes and the ex-England internationals Mark Ramprakash, John Emburey, Mike Selvey and Clive Radley. Their letter charged that the club "structurally a mess, is devoid of accountability and lacks proper checks and balances," and complained that "the club has been poorly led for too long." The players called on Sykes to resign at the club's AGM later that month, but he refused to go at that stage, arguing that a change of chair mid-season would deepen the instability rather than resolve it. Since Cornish's dismissal, Middlesex have been led by an interim chief executive, Julie Harrington, the former head of British Cycling and the British Horseracing Authority. Harrington has accepted Sykes's resignation and will lead the search for his replacement, while the Middlesex board has commissioned two independent reviews of the club's governance, with Sykes accepting that the club requires fresh leadership. The reviews are examining how decisions are made at the club, the effectiveness of its board oversight, and the culture that allowed disputes with staff and former players to escalate into public confrontation. In another significant change, Middlesex confirmed this month that the director of cricket, Alan Coleman, is leaving after five years at the end of the season. ## Years of Financial and Governance Trouble Sykes's exit is not related to the allegations made against Cornish or the club's handling of the complaint, but follows sustained criticism of his leadership through a series of institutional failures. In September 2023, the club were given a suspended points deduction, fined £50,000 and placed in special measures by the ECB after being found to have breached financial regulations, including the misuse of central funding. The former chief executive Richard Goatley is suing the club for more than £1m in a personal injury lawsuit, while Cornish could also take legal action for constructive dismissal. Under Sykes and Cornish, the club attempted to bring in £20m of external funding from a US group to help build a new ground in west London that would provide an additional venue to Lord's. The ECB ruled that third-party investment would constitute a breach of the county partnership agreement and jeopardise their central funding, killing the plan. The episode left the club without a clear answer to its most basic commercial problem: as tenants rather than owners at Lord's, the majority of match-day revenue generated at the ground flows elsewhere. The club's structural problems are compounded by a long-term tenancy at Lord's that places severe limitations on its ability to generate revenue, and by a decade without a major trophy despite one of English cricket's most storied histories. The club's list of released and departed players has grown in recent seasons as budget pressures bit, while membership campaigns have demanded greater transparency over how scarce resources are allocated. On the field, Middlesex have endured another largely disappointing season, failing to win promotion from Division Two of the County Championship for the third successive year. There is one last chance at silverware: the county have reached the final of the One-Day Cup and could win their first trophy for 10 years against Leicestershire at Trent Bridge on Sunday. Middlesex declined to comment on the resignation. For a club that has produced England captains for generations, the task now falls to Harrington and her successor to rebuild governance, finances and results at the same time. Sunday's final at Trent Bridge offers at least the possibility of a rare bright note in a season otherwise defined by institutional crisis, with victory over Leicestershire delivering the club's first trophy since 2016.