YORKSHIRE'S new chief executive is 47-year-old Alex Keay, a former captain of Saracens, who has been Manchester Rugby Union's supremo for the last six-and-a-half years.

During that time the club have risen from the regional leagues to National League Division One to become one of the top 20 clubs in the country.

Keay will officially take over when the current chief executive, Chris Hassell, retires in October, but he is expected to be become familiar with his new surroundings at Headingley before then.

He captained Saracens for five years from 1982 and played a number of times for Barbarians as well as enjoying England squad status for a while.

Following his retirement as a player, Keay had a successful sports marketing and management career with a leading sports agency before becoming one of Rugby Union's first administrators with his appointment at Moseley Rugby Club.

He left Manchester Rugby Club earlier in the summer because of disenchantment with the general administration of game and has since been doing consultancy work.

Keay was a student at Carnegie Training College for three years and he and his wife and three children currently live in Wilmslow but they will be moving to the Leeds area.

Updated: 12:04 Friday, July 26, 2002