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ALMOST six months of determined resistance to the demands of their captain, Dominic Cork, over authority on playing matters has ended in a complete climbdown by the Derbyshire committee.

Cork yesterday signed a new four-year contract with his captaincy guaranteed for the first two and his authority clearly underwritten by the departure of Andy Hayhurst, the development manager, and the exclusion from a new cricket management structure of committee member Harold Rhodes.

Cork blamed both for making his captaincy untenable and had threatened to resign and demand his release if they retained any influence on first-team cricket.

Hayhurst, the former Lancashire and Somerset all-rounder who joined Derbyshire as second-team coach two seasons ago, yesterday left ``by mutual consent'' with a year of his contract unexpired.

Derbyshire will now appoint a cricket manager with Colin Wells, their former all-rounder currently on Somerset's coaching staff, Cork's personal recommendation for the job.

The committee still face an extraordinary general meeting next week and yesterday's retreat cut little ice with the proposers of a ``no confidence'' motion.