Triple the attendance for Twenty20 Cup

Crowds for the Twenty20 Cup group matches have been nearly three times higher than for the equivalent games in the old Benson & Hedges Cup, the competition that was scrapped to make way for the new tournament.

In the 18 games to date, the total attendance has been 80,350, which tops the figure of 68,018 spectators for all the 45 B&H Cup group matches in 2002. A further 27 group matches remain in this year's Twenty20 Cup.

"We have chosen to benchmark the Twenty20 Cup against the old Benson & Hedges Cup because this is the competition it replaces," said Stuart Robertson, the ECB Marketing Manager. "These figures demonstrate that there is a healthy appetite for watching county cricket. We have produced a form of the game which is not only seems to be appealing but also, importantly, is being played at convenient times for people to come and watch. We are delighted by the response we have had so far."

An average of 4464 people have attended each Twenty20 group match so far, compared with a mere 1511 per Benson & Hedges group match last season.