LANCASHIRE’S head groundsman Peter Marron has decided to leave Old Trafford after 30 years with the club.

Marron, 53, is one the most respected groundsman in the UK but will leave at the end of the year to pursue other opportunities as a freelance groundsman.

Confirming the news, Lancashire’s chief executive Jim Cumbes said: “He has been head groundsman here for 25 years. There are things away from Old Trafford he would like to do and he felt if he didn’t do them now, he never would.

“It’s not the last we will see of him, as I fully expect him to be driving the re-orientation of the square when that takes place at the end of 2009, it’s just he won’t be here on a full-time basis.”

Marron, who was given a unique benefit year in 2006, said: “Not many people can come to work each morning and honestly say they love their job, but I can.

“However, when you’ve been doing it for as long as I have, you get to a point when you need a new challenge and want to use your knowledge in a different capacity.”

No decision on a replacement has been yet made. Options will be discussed at a scheduled committee meeting in the next fortnight.