Cheltenham & Gloucester renew Trophy sponsorship

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) today announces that Cheltenham & Gloucester has renewed its sponsorship of the ECB's premier one-day knock-out competition. The new three-year deal, worth over £3m, guarantees the Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy until the end of the 2006 season.

Cheltenham & Gloucester will also become sponsors of the ECB's website for recreational cricket, www.play-cricket.com, from the 2003 season onwards. This therefore reflects the ECB's mission statement of 'Developing cricket from playground to Test arena' and means Cheltenham & Gloucester gains a closer affinity with the 38 County Boards which contest the Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy from round one onwards.

Terry Blake, ECB Commercial Director, said: "I am delighted that Cheltenham & Gloucester, which has given great support in the last two years, is continuing with its sponsorship of the Trophy. The competition has a rich 30-year history and the Lord's final is a regular highlight of the County season. Long may it continue to be so!

"Cheltenham & Gloucester's support of 'play-cricket.com' is particularly encouraging. At the moment we have over 1,400 registered clubs and 55,000 individual players on the site and we are looking to double that figure in 2003, so more and more clubs will benefit from a facility which will greatly assist them in the administration of their clubs in future."

Chris Steele, C&G's general manager, marketing, commented: "We are delighted to continue to sponsor cricket's premier one-day knock-out tournament - through the C&G Trophy. The success of the previous two years has been overwhelming. We have seen some enthralling and nail biting matches that have kept us all on the edge of our seats and I'm sure that the coming years will be filled with the same kind of action."