MCC boycott threat (9 June 1999)

9 June 1999

MCC boycott threat

Brendan Gallagher

An acrimonious row between MCC members and their club's general committee could produce another "boycott" of the Lord's pavilion for Australia's Super Six tie against Zimbabwe today.

At the opening match between England and Sri Lanka last month, there was an embarrassing number of empty seats. Many members chose to watch from other vantage points or from the Long Room or the Bowlers bar. Others simply had not applied for tickets.

Ostensibly, they are angry at having to pay up to £100 a ticket for World Cup games at Lord's - despite the fact that they technically own the club. Even worse, having purchased a ticket, they now have to sit in allocated seats in the pavilion, as opposed to those they have occupied with friends for many years.

Objectors claim, however, that a much more fundamental issue is at stake: "This argument is not going to go away and has very little to do with money, although it is plainly ridiculous that the landlords are being charged rent by the tenants," said Michael Geliot.

"Primarily we are complaining about the incompetence and secrecy of the MCC committee. We, the members who own the club, were never consulted about paying for tickets and the arrangements to allocate seats. Authority in this matter was given to the ICC without our permission."

Another member said: "The trouble at Lord's is that we are suffering from an 'old farts' situation. The problem is with the committees - not the membership. The committees have become autocratic and there are too many of them. Nor do they seem representative of the membership, who are a broad-minded bunch from all walks of society."

Source :: The Electronic Telegraph