LEEDS, April 23: Police have confirmed that they are investigating allegations of financial irregularities at the Yorkshire County Cricket Club.

It is understood a figure of up to 100,000 pounds is at the centre of the inquiry.

Yorkshire last season won the County Cricket Championship for the first time in 33 years but reported an annual loss of 46,000 pounds.

“I can confirm we have received a report of certain financial irregularities and are looking in to the matter,” Detective Inspector Peter Ramsay of West Yorkshire Police told the Yorkshire Post Tuesday.

He also confirmed that the report came from the club, although Yorkshire would not comment further.

Questions were raised at the club’s recent annual meeting in Leeds when a downturn in shop and merchandise income from 32,422 pounds to just 460 pounds was reported.

Treasurer Peter Townend gave no further details at the time, but said it was an administrative failure of the shop, and would not be repeated.

Details of the allegations of the financial irregularities emerged on the eve of Yorkshire’s opening County Championship match of the season against Surrey.

The club is in the middle of a multi-million pound redevelopment of Headingley, with a new Western Stand opened last season.

And the East Stand, built at a cost of around 4.2m pounds is due to be launched this summer.—PPI