Middlesex members move against committee

More than a hundred Middlesex members have signed a petition expressing no confidence in the committee and demanding a special meeting. The county, without silverware in more than a decade, have made a disappointing start to the summer and only their win against Derbyshire on Monday lifted them off the bottom of Division two of the Championship.

The committee met on Monday night and agreed to the request, although Vinny Coddrington, the chief executive, was clearly not pleased. "I wish they'd raised any gripes at the next members' forum," he told The Times. "We have three of those per year with the next being on July 22. It's all a bit premature."

Ed Smith, the captain, said he understood the members' feelings and their right to ask for answers. "It's probably a combination of unhappiness that we've not won anything for 15 years and of disappointment at the start to our season when a lot was expected of us. We've had unbelievably bad luck with injuries."