SETTLE CC expect to confirm the appointment of a new full-time club and community Cricket Development Officer tonight in one of the most progressive moves seen on the local cricket front for some time.

The announcement of the new post coincided with the news that current professional Stewart Horny will not be retained at the end of the season after three years at Marshfield.

Explaining the departure of Hornby and the creation of the new post, skipper Andy Davidson said: "We feel that the time is ripe to appoint someone who, in addition to his duties as a player, will also take the reins on the coaching front and be a catalyst for further expansion.

"We now have 50 youngsters, some on the verge of senior cricket, who require help from a top coach who is playing at a high level.

"We have super relations with the local schools and we feel that they would benefit immensely from a top quality player going in to run sessions on a regular basis.

"We also want a professional who will work in clinics with senior players on a one-to-one basis. So in effect we feel the time and climate is right to create a full-time cricketing post which will help develop cricket within the community. We are looking at raising the standard of cricket, encouraging the young people of the town and district to get involved and enjoy the game, improving all the club's senior teams and generally showing to people that Settle Cricket Club is a good organisation to get involved in.

"We have spoken to a person we feel will be ideally suited to the job and he has been to the town to look around and get a feel of the environment he and his family will be moving in to. We hope to complete the paperwork this week."

While clearly excited by the prospect of having a full-time man in place, Davidson was anxious to pay tribute to the man who will be departing at the end of the season.

"This decision does not reflect negatively in any way on Stewart Hornby as a player or person." says Davidson.

"He has conducted himself well on all occasions, has always given of his best and is a fine player. The club wishes him well and thanks him for his services over the last three seasons.

"I think it is fair to say that at first team level we have come as far as we can and it is time to push on and move further forward.

"We have come from rock bottom to a position where we can now compete with the best and Stewart Hornby has been influential in that aspect of the teams development.

"He will again finish with 60-70 wickets, but by his own admission, he has been very disappointing with the bat and we do really require an all rounder to hit at least the 500-run mark on a regular basis."

The irony of Hornby's departure was that he heard the news shortly after one of his best bowling spells of the season and on a day when Settle pulled off one of their most remarkable results for years.

They were bowled out for 77 by league leaders Read, but managed to force a tie in an extraordinary match.