Board member resigns after Liverpool retain Souness: Grey skies and black sightscreens - pyjama cricket with a white ball arrives at Lord's

LIVERPOOL FC yesterday announced that Graeme Souness would be staying on as manager for the remaining three years of his contract, despite the opposition of sections of the club's board.

Souness pronounced himself 'relieved and delighted' by the decision, which follows a week of speculation that the 40-year-old Scot was to be paid off. However, one board member, Tony Ensor, a solicitor, felt his 'strongly held views' were incompatible with his position and he resigned last night.

The Liverpool chairman, David Moores, said that Souness had recently inquired if he retained the full support of the board. Moores said that while the board's discussions had gone on 'rather longer than anyone would have wished', their priority had been to reach 'the best conclusion - not the quickest'.

Souness admitted it had been 'a very stressful week' and denied that he ever wanted to leave Liverpool.

Disenchantment with Souness's abrasive management style surfaced last April after he sold the story of his heart bypass operation to the Sun, a newspaper widely disliked on Merseyside because of the blame it attached to Liverpool fans for the Hillsborough tragedy.

Lennox Lewis defeated Tony Tucker on points in Las Vegas on Saturday to retain his WBC heavyweight title. The victory set off bargaining that may exceed pounds 8m if an agreement is reached for Lewis to defend against his fellow Briton Frank Bruno in a fight that would be staged in Britain in September.

Alain Prost moved two points ahead of Ayrton Senna in the Formula One world championship as he beat the Brazilian into second place in the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona yesterday. Damon Hill of Britain, suffered engine failure on the 42nd lap.

Henry Cooper, the former heavyweight boxing champion, is to sell his three Lonsdale Belts by auction at Sotheby's to pay for losses he has suffered as a name at Lloyds.

(Photograph omitted)

Reports, page 28