Sussex head for Buckingham Palace

The Duke of Edinburgh greeted Sussex's cricketers at Buckingham Palace this week, to present them with the ECB/Lord's Taverners County Championship Trophy, after their narrow victory over Lancashire in this year's tightly contested title race.

Prince Philip, who is also patron and twelfth man of the Lord's Taverners, has presented the trophy at Buckingham Palace to the winners of the County Championship each year since Hampshire won in 1973.

This year's victory by Sussex is the second time in four years that the county has won the Championship since it was inaugurated in 1890. Sussex won the trophy for the first time in their history in 2003.

They also won this season's C&G one-day final, and their captain, Chris Adams, who received the trophy from the Duke, said: "From 2003 it's a different side but it's a magnificent feeling and to do the double has meant 2006 is Sussex's year."

Also present at Buckingham Palace was the England women's captain, Charlotte Edwards, who received the women's trophy on behalf of her county, Kent, who won the competition for the first time in their history.

Mark Williams, chief executive of The Lord's Taverners said: "These two teams have performed extraordinarily well throughout the season and are deserving winners of the trophies.

"We are particularly pleased for Sussex," he added. "Not only have they played some compelling cricket but also Chris Adams and other Sussex cricketers gave up some of their rare days off during the season to turn out for The Lord's Taverners cricket team, which raises much needed funds for the charity."

Both the men's and the women's County Championships are sponsored by the Liverpool Victoria Group, who generously donate £6 to The Lord's Taverners for every six hit in the county championships, as well as £10 a run for the highest individual score in the championship. In 2006 the combined donation to the charity from Liverpool Victoria amounts to £9,444.