AN inspirational character whose vocabulary never contained the word defeat'.

That was the tribute paid by Essex and England legend Graham Gooch to Ronnie Irani, the Essex County Cricket Club captain who has announced he is to retire at the end of the season due to a persistent knee injury.

"Of course we will miss him," admitted Gooch, who is now the county's batting coach.

"It is always sad when a player's career comes to an end, but even more so in Ronnie's case, because his decision has come at a time when he is in the best form of his life."

Irani, whose knee problems forced him to give up bowling at the end of the 2003 season, has scored 465 LV County Championship runs this season at an average of well over 100, including his career-best first-class score of 218 against Glamorgan last month.

"His attitude and work ethic have always been spot-on since he joined us 13 years ago.

"He led by example and produced many match-winning performances that confirmed his status as a superb player."