CRICKET: The chief executive of the Irish Cricket Union, Peter Thompson, will next month leave to take up a job in sports management in England, The Irish Times has learned.

Thompson's contract with the ICU was due to run until the end of April but it is believed he will leave by mutual consent on March 3rd, two days before the the union's agm.

According to ICU sources,Thompson was told before Christmas his contract would not be renewed, giving him time to find new employment before it ran out on April 30th.

Thompson's performance as the first ICU chief executive has come in for fierce criticism, several senior figures in Irish cricket feeling he has failed to attract enough sponsorship even though the game in Ireland has rarely enjoyed such a high profile.

According to the ICU's own accounts, less than €50,000 in new sponsorship was generated during 2004 and 2005 combined.

It is understood the executive committee of the ICU was told last week Thompson had tendered his resignation with effect from March 3rd and it had been accepted.

Thompson has accepted a senior position in sports management in England but details of the new job are not to hand.

The ICU executive will discuss the matter at a meeting in Ballymascanlon House Hotel, Dundalk, on February 28th and make interim arrangements for the ongoing administrative staffing of the union.

The fact Thompson will be departing two days before the agm will anger some ICU members who had intended to question him on the commercial performance of the sport.

Thompson's tenure as chief executive has coincided with the most successful period to date for Ireland's senior men.

Led by national coach Adrian Birrell, they got to the final of the ICC Trophy last year, thus qualifying for next year's Cricket World Cup in the West Indies. Then, in October they won the prestigious InterContinental Cup in Namibia, beating Kenya in the final.

This year they will take part in the revamped C&G Trophy, which will involve no fewer than nine matches against English county opposition with at least one of the games being televised live on Sky Sports.

The team is sponsored by Bank of Ireland and a two-year extension to that deal was secured late last year.

But many within the game feel the product that is Irish cricket has been under-sold and in particular the senior team's success has not been exploited.

At the last meeting of the executive committee, in January, the honorary treasurer reported losses for 2005 of €76,023 despite it being the most successful onfield season to date.

In 2005, the chief executive cost the union almost €70,000 in salary and expenses, compared to 63,000 for the national coach. In that time 41,000 was brought in through sponsorship.

The previous year sponsorship was less than 7,000.

There will now be much speculation as to the likely identity of the new chief executive and how the role might be redefined after Thompson's departure.

An Englishman, Thompson had a background in cricket, coming from a job in the marketing division of Warwickshire County Cricket Club in Birmingham.

It is widely accepted he was at a disadvantage because he lacked a strong contact base in the Irish business community, so it is thought likely the next CEO will be Irish - or at least have extensive links here.

Thompson and the chairman of the Irish Cricket Union, Joe Doherty, declined to comment yesterday when contacted by The Irish Times.