The chairperson of the English County Cricket Club Essex has resigned following a historical allegation of racist language.

John Faragher, who stepped down on Thursday, denies the allegations against him, which relate to a board meeting in 2017, but the club is looking into why the incident was not fully and independently investigated at the time.

John Stephenson, the former Essex and England cricketer who recently took over as the club's chief executive, said on Friday: “There is no place for discrimination of any kind at Essex County Cricket Club.”

It comes during a racism row that has engulfed rival county side Yorkshire.

Read: Cricketer in Yorkshire race row urges ‘cultural change’

Former Yorkshire player Azeem Rafiq was found by an independent report to have been subject to “racial harassment and bullying”, with the Headingley-based club's chairperson and chief executive resigning in the ensuing fall-out.

England captain Joe Root, who has spent all of his club career at Yorkshire, demanded change on Thursday, saying events at Headingley had “fractured our game and torn lives apart”.

An England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) spokesperson said: “There is absolutely no place for racism or any form of discrimination in our game.

“The England and Wales Cricket Board opened an investigation into Essex County Cricket Club after receiving an allegation involving John Faragher, who has subsequently resigned as the club chair. The ECB is taking this allegation extremely seriously. “