YORKSHIRE’S departing chief executive Stewart Regan will leave the club in September a proud man after achieving “all that I wanted to do” at Headingley.

The 46-year-old who hails from Crook, County Durham has spent four-and-a-halfyears with the White Rose county, and will take up a similar position with the Scottish Football Association in early October.

Regan’s duties will be taken on by current chairman Colin Graves while the best longterm option is found.

Regan’s decision comes less than a week after it was revealed that Yorkshire’s financial difficulties worsened due to poor ticket sales for the neutral Test match between Pakistan and Australia.

“That has taken some of the gloss off,” he admitted. “We were disappointed with the attendances, and it is frustrating to be leaving with the current cash-flow problems.”

Regan estimated that the club missed out on approximately £750,000 through ticket sales, but Yorkshire’s financial troubles are not thought to be the reason for his departure.

He continued: “I have achieved all that I wanted to do when I came to Yorkshire in 2006.

“My aim was to keep Test cricket at Headingley and build a successful side. I believe that when I leave both of those things will be in place.”

Regan has previous with football, having joined Yorkshire from the Football League.

He has overseen extensive redevelopment of the Headingley stadium, as well as being a major player in the county’s close relationship with Leeds Metropolitan University.

Graves plans to take over Regan’s duties for six months from October.

And the founder of the aptly named supermarket chain Costcutter, insists that the future is bright for Yorkshire.

“I have told my board colleagues that I intend to take the role of executive chairman for a period of at least half a year after Stewart’s departure,”

said Graves.

“Much has been said of the club’s cash-flow problems, but this is a temporary blip.

“We’ll recover with the support of our partners to continue building for the future.”

On the field, Yorkshire take on Gloucestershire at Cheltenham in the first of two away matches in four days that could define their Clydesdale Bank 40 campaign.

Needing to top Group B to qualify for the semi-finals, the Tykes have won their first five matches.

Andrew Gale’s men also travel to face the Netherlands in Rotterdam on Sunday, the side who gave them their sternest test of the competition so far when they visited Headingley in May.

Yorkshire, chasing 201, won by four wickets with three balls to spare thanks to an unbeaten 83 from Jacques Rudolph.

Gale says it is “too early” to work out how many wins the White Rose will need from their remaining seven matches.

But it is thought that ten wins would be enough to see them through to the last four.

Tim Bresnan is unlikely to feature after being called into the England squad to replace county colleague Ajmal Shahzad, who has suffered a recurrence of his ankle injury.