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Prize money has been increased for this years's 25th anniversary Barbados Fire and Commercial Knockout Cricket Competitions.

``We're hoping to make this year a memorable one and in so doing we have increased the prize money of both the Shield and Cup Competitions,'' Barbados Fire & Commercial chief executive, David Deane, told reporters yesterday.

The Shield prize money, which totalled $11 200, have been increased to $15 500 with winner's haul going from $3 600 to $5 500, losing finalists $2 600 to $3 500, losing semifinalists $1 100 to $1 500, and the losing quarter-finalists $700 to $1 000.

The Fire Cup has been increased from $10 000 to $25 500. The winners will receive $8 000, the losing finalist $5 500, the losing semifinalists $3 000 and the losing quarter-finalists $1 500.

They will also be prizes for the man of the match from the quarter-final stage in both competitions, while players who capture five wickets or score a century will receive gift vouchers of $300.

As part of the 25th anniversary celebrations, the finals of both competitions will be played in coloured clothing with the shirts being issued by the sponsors.

Following last year's success with staging the Shield final at Queen's Park, the committee has proposed the same venue this year again, while the final of the Cup will be held at Kensington Oval.

This year will see a record 51 clubs vying for the Shield, up from last year's 46.

Chairman of the organising committee, Wendell Kellman, said they hoped to avoid the controversies of the last two years which caused the competition to be pushed forward into the following year.

Kellman explained: ``The committee has been divided into two sub-committees, one which will be looking at the rules and regulations while the other will be concentrating on the plans for the 25th anniversary celebrations.''

He pointed out that it was made clear to the clubs participating in this year's competitions on the registration forms that the organising committee of the Barbados Fire & Commercial Cup Insurance Company Knockout Cricket Competitions shall be the final arbiter over any disputes, complaints, breaches or interpretations of the general rules of the competition.

The registration form also stated that any club who fields a player who represented another team in any of the BCA competitions during the 1999 season will face expulsion from the competition. Confusion over player eligibility is what led to the 1998 competition reaching the law courts.