Goatley Chief Exec., I Kid you not.

Richard Goatley decribes his Middlesex Journey from a kid supporting the club to Chief Executive. A fascinating read. 

My Middlesex journey

I suppose if you wanted to hook an eight year old boy on Middlesex CCC for life then you could have done a lot worse than take him to the Benson and Hedges Final of 1983 at Lord’s. Well, that’s what my dad did for me. Cheering in the stands in the dark celebrating an astonishing comeback win made me a Middlesex fan for life and created heroes for me of Rad, Gatt, Embers et al. I’ve had a deep passion for the club ever since.

Winding on 32 years and I now have the privilege of being the Chief Executive of this great institution and Club and sometimes I still have to pinch myself. Those heroes have become colleagues and friends and I know few people who gain as much pride and pleasure from their occupation as I do. Middlesex CCC is so much more than a Sports Club. It’s a family that looks after its staff, members and supporters in a way no corporate entity truly can. It has truly been a love affair for me.

Of course as a boy, that success in 1983 was a mere taster for a remarkable decade of success. I became used to going to Lord’s for one nail biting success after another – especially the two last ball wins against Kent and a wonderful rearguard effort from Ramprakash and Emburey to beat Worcestershire. It was not until that huge six that Neil Smith planted into the stands from Simon Hughes to enable Warwickshire to beat us in the NatWest final that I realised that Middlesex could ever lose a game that really mattered.

Of course those one day finals, were embellished by significant successes in the County Championship (to me it will always be sponsored by Schweppes!) and the John Player League but it was those limited over thrillers that inspired me and I am determined that my tenure as CEO will see more of them - days that supporters remember forever, days that make heroes.

Through my twenties, I could not get to Lord’s very often. Because I was working abroad for much of the time. But when, over Christmas 2004, I saw an advertisement for the Head of Finance role at Middlesex, I didn’t have to think twice. I had a first interview with Vinny Codrington and instantly liked him and was invited for a second interview with Treasurer Geoff Norris and Chilton Taylor (he of the unregistered player, points deduction scandal!). I was aware that I was the second of two candidates being interviewed for the position and, as I sat down, I noticed that Geoff Norris, at the bottom of his notes about the previous candidate had written ‘Too old!!!!’ – from that point on I relaxed, knowing I had a pretty good chance.

I was standing in St Alban’s station car park that same day when Vinny rang and offered me the job and from there life changed! I was incredibly lucky from the start that I worked for brilliant people. Over the past decade, Vinny has become one of my closest friends and he was always a joy to work for. Vinny understood the spirit of Middlesex Cricket and we had many great times together. Geoff Norris has also become a great friend and his wisdom and great sense of fun were always a great source of support for me.

Subsequently, Ian Lovett and Mike O’Farrell have been remarkable generals of the club. I don’t think Ian and I will ever forget an evening we spent at Old Trafford in 2014, when relegation seemed a genuine possibility. We sat in the hotel bar at some unearthly hour both nursing gin and tonics almost too tense to talk, scared we would in some way  jinx our team – a team that neither of us thought should be fighting to avoid relegation. Mike will be a brilliant Chairman, I know of no-one who is calmer in troubled times or has better judgement.

Middlesex and Lord’s have impacted me in other ways too. I first met my wife Lucy at Lord’s in 2005 and we had our wedding reception in the Committee Dining Room. My children have all grown up knowing Lord’s as a second home to them and love the association. They were truly born into the club.

Looking forward, I am genuinely excited at the future prospects of the Club. We have a great staff here and a strategy that will deliver success. I can’t promise I’ll deliver the multitude of trophies that I enjoyed as a boy but I can promise that our team and I will give it our very best shot at all times.

Richard Goatley