HEREFORDSHIRE County Cricket Club are hoping for a big response to their new Vice-Presidents scheme after an early show of interest.

After the club's recent annual meeting at Hereford's Green Dragon Hotel, secretary Peter Sykes revealed that four people had already signed up for the package, launched just two weeks previously.

This enables them to be the guest of the club for a day at the championship or MCCA Cup game of their choice when, for a donation of £50, the vice-president is entitled to morning coffee on arrival, lunch and tea, free programme and parking.

The scheme is aimed to provide a welcome financial boost for the club, which lost £5,877 on the season, following on from a £5,538 loss the year before.

This, however, is simply eating into the exceptional profits registered in 2001 when cup ties against first-class counties Middlesex and Worcestershire provided a major injection of cash.

The 2004 season also brings the prospect of a substantial windfall with the visit of Worcestershire to Luctonians CC for a C & G Trophy second-round tie on Wednesday, May 5.

On the playing front, former Kington seam bowler Mark Horrocks is taking a year off from his teaching career so will be available on a more regular basis, a welcome boost following the retirement of Kevin Cooper. But extra prudence over the county's finances may allow for still more local players to be given the chance to test themselves at minor county level in the forthcoming campaign.

"We will field the best possible side within our budget," chairman Gwynne Jones told the annual meeting.

Responsibility for assembling that side falls to the new chairman of the cricket committee, Malcolm Morgan, who will be appointing his own committee to work with him.

Morgan's elevation from the general committee currently leaves a gap to fill on the four-man body, which currently comprises Ernie Morgan, Nick Nenadich and Brian Peplow.

Also re-elected were fixture secretary Jim Sandford and membership secretary David James while Derek Hince retained his post as chairman of the match-management sub-committee.

Accountant David Phillips was elected as the third treasurer in the county club's history, taking over from David Wood who himself succeeded the late Dennis Fothergill 12 years ago.