County prize money increases by 150%

	Durham captain Dale Benkenstein during the presentation of the Championship trophy last month ... next year's winners will share £500,000 © Getty Images

The ECB has announced a 150% increase in prize money for next season's domestic tournaments, with the biggest prize going to the winners of the County Championship. This year Durham pocketed £100,000, but next year's champions will collect £500,000.

The players from the winning county will share £350,000 and the county £150,000. The total prize money and reward payment for the County Championship will rise to £1,060,000. The runners up will receive £225,000 of which £175,000 will go to the players and £50,000 to the county. In 2008 the runners-up received £40,000.

There are also significant rises in the prize money and reward payments for the winners of the final Pro40 competition and for the county which lifts the Friends Provident Trophy at the Lord's final in late July.

"The ECB board strongly believe that it was important to increase the prize fund available to all competitions on the back of the rise of the opportunities provided by Twenty20 cricket and we were particularly anxious to increase the money that was available for the winners of the Championship," David Collier, the board's chief executive, said. "These increases reward both players and counties and in a difficult economic climate demonstrate the strength of cricket and our confidence in the domestic game. "

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