Middlesex County Cricket Club chief executive Vinny Codrington has decided to resign.

He had been chief executive at Middlesex CCC since 1997, with the sporting highlight of his reign being the T20 Cup win at the Rose Bowl in 2008.

The county have been under-fire over former batsman Chris Rogers trying to re-sell Ashes tickets but Codrington insisted this was not the case.

“Over the past few years, I have become increasingly aware of my desire to seek a new challenge and now is a good time for me to make that move.

"Once I had made that decision, I felt it was in the best interests of both parties for me to move on immediately, so I requested a release from my contract. I am grateful to Middlesex for agreeing to that request.”

“Being the Chief Executive of a sporting organisation is emotionally draining in every sense. After 18 years, this does catch up with you and that is why I have been considering my position.

"People may assume that the Chris Rogers ticket affair was a factor in this. I cannot deny that we, as a club, made mistakes on the issue. However, it is not a factor in my resignation, nor was I asked to resign by the Club.”

“I have had the most incredible time at Middlesex. It has been a privilege and an honour to have served this great club.”

“I have lived the dream, and will always be grateful for the opportunity afforded me. I never thought I would be here for as long as I have, and am looking forward to a fresh challenge. I have made many friends here, and throughout the game, and will always fondly remember my time here.”

Middlesex CCC Chairman Ian Lovett accepted the resignation and paid tribute to Codrington's efforts.

He added: “It is with regret that we have accepted Vinny’s resignation.

“In the modern era, it is almost unheard of for a chief executive to spend 18 years at the same Sports Club.

"That achievement is testament itself of Vinny’s great talents and his endless commitment to the club; he has made a quite remarkable contribution to the development of Middlesex Cricket, both the professional game and, in many ways more importantly, at recreational level.”

“In that time, the club has been completely revolutionised from top to bottom, whether it has been the streamlining of our committee structure, the professionalism of our cricket department, or the development of our training ground at Radlett CC. He also initiated the club’s relationship with Breakthrough Breast Cancer which has raised huge sums of money for the charity.”

“He has been an immensely popular Chief Executive throughout the club and he leaves with the best wishes of the board, staff and members of the club. He will always be welcome at the Home of Cricket and I would like to thank him from everyone at the club for his brilliant efforts.”