Yorkshire Tea, which is based in the Harrogate district, has ended its sponsorship of Yorkshire County Cricket Club.
Yorkshire, which has many members and supporters in the district, has been fiercely criticised for saying it didn’t plan to take any disciplinary action against individuals following an investigation into the allegations by former player Azeem Rafiq.
The row escalated today when it was revealed Yorkshire chairman Roger Hutton, chief executive Mark Arthur and director of cricket Martyn Moxon would be questioned by MPs on November 16.
Now, Yorkshire Tea, which is part of the Bettys and Taylors Group based in Harrogate, revealed today it has ended its sponsorship with the club.
A spokesperson for Yorkshire Tea told the Stray Ferret:
“We were upset to read about the experiences of Azeem Rafiq during his time at Yorkshire County Cricket Club. We wholeheartedly believe that cricket should be a sport for everyone, but his experiences and the way the panel report has been handled don’t reflect that.
“Our current sponsorship of YCCC was naturally coming to an end but we have taken the decision to end it with immediate effect.”
Meanwhile, Harrogate Spring Water, which also sponsors the club, said it had raised concerns with senior officials at Yorkshire over the matter.
A spokesperson for the company said:
“We are deeply disappointed at the allegations which have come to light concerning individuals within Yorkshire County Cricket Club and have expressed our concerns in discussions with senior personnel at the club.
“Racism has no place in sport or society and we are keen to hear further from Yorkshire CCC how they intend to bring about meaningful, positive change on this issue.”
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The news comes as Anchor butter, which had its logo on Yorkshire’s website, confirmed it had cut ties with the club.
Meanwhile, Emerald Publishing, which has naming rights to Headingley cricket ground, said it would review the findings of an investigation by the England and Wales Cricket Board.
The company added that Yorkshire had a “great deal to do” to restore trust.
Yesterday, Mark Ellis, chairman of Masham Cricket Club, told the Stray Ferret that the county club’s actions “sent mixed messages” to grassroots cricket and that the club was “extremely disappointed” in Yorkshire’s actions.
