LANCASHIRE County Cricket Club have defied the current economic crisis to announce record pre-tax profits of £258,664.

That shows a rise from £184,364 in 2007, although those figures were recorded over a 15-month period.

Lancashire chief executive Jim Cumbes is delighted with the results at a time when they are continuing to redevelop their Old Trafford home and ahead of a summer which will not feature an Ashes Test.

He said: “In these testing economic times, where hospitality bookings, sales and even membership are difficult to maintain, these results show that the club has a very strong business model across the board to steer us through these tough years.”