IN 1997, there was a mood of change at Old Trafford.

Chairman Bob Bennett was leaving his post to take a job at the ICC and so the top job was up for grabs.

Jack Simmons was on the committee and proposed his old friend Murray Birnie - who had been the chairman of his benefit committee 17 years earlier.

But opinion on the committee was split with some backing Birnie and some backed his challenger John Brewer.

"Those two were the front runners and Edward Slinger, who was about to become a judge and wasn't in the running, so he came to see me at my house and he asked me what my views were.

"I told him that Murray was the chairman of my benefit, he was a good friend of mine, we have similar views and I knew that he would be a hard-working chairman and as passionate for Lancashire as it was possible to be.

"Then I got a call saying if there was only those two in the running, they would like Murray to get it, but they wouldn't be sure that he would.

"But if I were to put up as chairman, we don't think that there would be a problem. It surprised me. I told them that I'd proposed my mate and I wasn't going to let them propose me. That's when Edward came around to see me. He'd been to see Murray and he, for the good of the club, and maybe had second thoughts because he was still working full time, he reckoned if he resigned and put my name forward then I would be up for nomination.

"They thought that out of the 12 committee, at least six didn't want John Brewer as chairman for various reasons.

"Anyway, I was going up the sixth fairway at Clitheroe Golf Club and I got a phone call. I was allowed to take the phone call and Bob Bennett rang me to tell me that I'd got the position. I never officially knew the result of the vote but I heard it was nowhere near close.

"I got the backing of all of the others that might have gone towards John rather than Murray and I've had it ever since."

And under the former all-rounder, Lancashire County Cricket Club has gone from strength-to-strength.

On the field, the club has won five trophies and off it, the ground has continued to develop.

And with Old Trafford about to undergo a major redevelopment, the future is looking very bright for Lancashire.

"Ten years is a long time and it's flown by and the things that we've done I'm very proud of," he said.

"We've had our problems, you always do. For years, I didn't win votes on certain issues. Even as chairman, you put things forward and they don't go through. But this is what I like, things are done very democratically and if things are done that way then you can't do anything about it. I was taught that and that's the way it should be."

He added: "I think the academy is superb and I think the other thing that is very good is the backroom staff that we now have at Old Trafford.

"We feel we are as good as, if not better, than the England set-up in terms of how we monitor players.

"We are far superior on the finance side than the ECB I would like to say but what I've liked, since I've been chairman, is that we've built the hotel.

"I was on the committee when we built F stand, which I didn't want building first. I thought we should have had the hotel and then the F stand.

"I thought we should build something first that would make us some money rather than the white elephant which will only probably be used about four days a year during the Test match and maybe a One-Day international that doesn't make us any money.

"The argument I always got back was that you get a seating arrangement from the ECB and we would get some money from that. But the hotel proved I was right in the first place.

"The amount of money we owed was above £5million and now we don't owe more than £400,000. The club has prospered that much in the last 10 years that the club have got rid of the majority of the debts and the assets are far, far greater.

"But also with the academy, that is a huge asset in on the playing side. Mike Watkinson and John Stanworth have done a terrific job on that side.

"As well as those two you have Steven Titchard who is on the coaching side, Peter Martin helps on that side as well.

In my playing days we would go up into the Lake District for pre-season training. Now, they go to places like St Kitts or off to South Africa. They even go to La Manga, the place where the England footballers go.

"My dad always said that when you take a job, you should hope that it's far better when you finished than when you took it over and I think I can categorically say that, as a club, we are. But it's not just me, it's the people that we've had there that made it that way."

Jack is contemplating giving up the top job at the end of this year and if he does, his dad will be proud of is son's efforts.