AN appeal aimed at raising at least £6million over the next two years was launched by Yorkshire County Cricket Club at their annual meeting at Headingley on Saturday.

It was revealed that an anonymous £1m donation had already been received for the Yorkshire Pride Appeal.

The fund will be aimed at reducing the club's bank overdraft, making final payments to their former landlords, Leeds Cricket, Football and Athletic Company, and developing a state-of-the-art pavilion and media centre which will help make Headingley become "the Lord's of the North".

The appeal chairman is Robin Smith, who stepped down as club chairman at the meeting and was replaced by former chief executive Colin Graves, head of Dunnington-based supermarket chain Costcutter.

Smith will chair a steering committee of eight, each of whom will be responsible for raising funds in their own area.

Chief executive Stuart Regan said the purchase of Headingley Carnegie Stadium last December was seen as a major coup for the people of Yorkshire because it ensured that international cricket would be played in the county for at least the next 15 years.

Yorkshire were now appealing to those same people, including the cricket-loving public, to assist them in their short term development plans by supporting the Yorkshire Pride Appeal.

Regan also said that the England and Wales Cricket Board had now been awarded the new Twenty-20 World Championships in 2009 when all Test nations would take part and they would also stage either the 2015 or the 2019 World Cup.

These events presented a fantastic opportunity for Headingley to benefit from international cricket and fill the stadium and it was the club's intention to have redeveloped the ground to a 20,000 capacity by then.

England captain Michael Vaughan has made a donation to Yorkshire of about £22,000 following his benefit last year which raised around £700,000.

Vaughan has also pledged to donate part of his benefit fund to his chosen charities.

The meeting elected former Yorkshire and England fast bowler Bob Appleyard as president in place of the retiring David Jones and they also voted Geoff Boycott on to the management board along with Leeds City Council's deputy chief executive Dave Page.

Tony Vann was elected a vice-president of the club although one or two members voiced their disapproval because of the part which they said he had played in bringing in Tony Panaro as marketing director for a while - a move which had disastrous financial consequences.

Updated: 10:48 Monday, March 27, 2006