Lancashire hand new chief Kenyon cricket review after poor season
Lancashire have put incoming chief executive Richard Kenyon in charge of a full review of their cricket set-up after a difficult season across all formats.
Kenyon will officially take over from Daniel Gidney on 5 October, BBC Sport reported. He will then lead an examination of the county's cricket operation and performance structure.
The brief is wide. The review will assess staff and player contracts, resources and the pathway from academy to first team, the development route that takes young cricketers into senior sides.
Results explain the urgency. The season was poor.
Lancashire finished second-bottom of Division Two in the County Championship, the four-day first-class competition and the second tier of red-ball county cricket, where clubs chase promotion to Division One. They finished bottom of the table in the T20 Blast, the 20-over competition built on fast scoring and tight bowling at the end of an innings. They also failed to qualify for the knockout stages of the One-Day Cup, the 50-over tournament. In all three cases, Lancashire were out of contention for the trophies before the decisive late-season games.
Change has already started. Director of cricket performance Mark Chilton has departed. Director of women's cricket David Thorley has also left as part of the restructure.
Kenyon arrives from outside the established county circuit. He spent more than a decade at football club Everton before moving into cricket administration. He then served 10 months as Nottinghamshire chief executive before resigning in August to take the Lancashire role, as reported by BBC Sport.
Lancashire outlined the appointment and review in a club notice titled "Richard Kenyon to join Lancashire Cricket on 5 October and lead cricket review" on 27 September 2026 Lancashire Cricket.
For supporters, this points to a reset rather than minor fixes. A review that runs from contracts to the academy touches selection, coaching support and long-term recruitment. It also leaves players out of contract and staff waiting for clarity until Kenyon starts work.
What makes this stand out is the timing. He arrives in early October, with the season finished and the winter months ahead. That is usually when counties settle squads, plan training and shape ideas for next summer. Then the review begins.
