MIKE WATKINSON has been appointed Lancashire's first ever cricket manager and his job description can be summed up simply - catching up with Yorkshire.

Lancashire wasted no time in confirming Watkinson's appointment at Old Trafford yesterday, less than 24 hours after the end of a hugely disappointing season and before the current coach Bob Simpson has even gone home to Australia.

But chairman Jack Simmons stressed that Watkinson has a different role to Simpson.

"We put in a system we thought was the correct one two years ago, but it didn't seem to function as effectively as we would like," said Simmons. "We thought we needed a coach 12 months of the year to oversee events, and here at Old Trafford rather than abroad."

That means a new priority on developing Lancastrian youngsters, with a new Academy system for the most talented to practise with the first team players set to be introduced this winter - along the lines of the model Yorkshire introduced five years ago.

"The long-term priority is to establish that development programme," said Watkinson, who has been working with Lancashire's young players for the last two years as second team captain.

"But we've got to balance that with a reasonable level of performance in the first team - getting out of the Second Division of the one-day competition as well as doing as well as we can in the First Division of the Championship."

In the short-term Watkinson will be meeting with John Crawley, whose future remains in doubt, and out-of-contract pair Chris Schofield and Neil Fairbrother, as well as stepping up the search for a new overseas player and another new signing.

Mike Hussey, who has scored 2000 runs for Northants this season, is shaping as Lancashire's number one target to replace Muttiah Muralitharan.

Meanwhile former Nelson professional Joe Scuderi has been released from Old Trafford.

The Aussie-Italian was told there was no new deal when his two year contract expires this winter.