Prize money has been officially introduced for the first time in the ECB National Club Championship, thanks to new competition sponsors play-cricket.com.

A total of £23,000 is available in cash prizes with the 2001 ECB National Club Champions receiving £6,000 as well as a new trophy. The runners-up will receive a cheque for £3,000 while prize money will stretch to the regional finalists (last 32), who will pocket £250 each.

The money is provided by Play-Sport New Media who operate play-cricket.com, the recreational cricket website endorsed by the England and Wales Cricket Board.

There will be 377 entrant teams and the final will be played at Lord's Cricket Ground on Thursday 6 September 2001. First-round matches start on Sunday 29 April, with all sides participating in the Premier Division of an ECB accredited 120 overs-a-side Premier League given a bye through to the second round.

ECB's Director of Cricket Operations, John Carr, says: "It is every club cricketer's dream to play at Lord's and this year's competition is sure to maintain the high standard of cricket usually seen. We welcome the new sponsorship by play-cricket.com and the addition of prize money this year will raise the profile of the Championship still further."

Frank Kemp, ECB Cricket Operations Manager for the recreational game, said: "Play-cricket.com's sponsorship of the National Club Championship for the next three years is an exciting new sponsorship which will increase awareness of play-cricket.com within clubs throughout the country. Play-cricket.com has been set up specifically for the benefit of the recreational cricketer and it will become an important and powerful resource for all amateur clubs and players in the future."

Nick Chapman, Marketing Manager at Play-Sport New Media, said: "We are delighted to be sponsoring the National Club Championship and anticipate that by providing significant prize money the competition will become even more competitive!"

The competition will be known as the ECB National Club Championship, sponsored by play-cricket.com.

Additional notes:

There will be 24 Premier Leagues in England and Wales for the 2001 season, an increase of four from last year.

The 2000 Code of the Laws of Cricket will be used in all cricket played under the auspices of the ECB from the start of the 2001 season with one exception. The new Law 40.2 - which requires that the webbing between the thumb and index finger on the wicket-keeping glove must be a piece of flat, non-stretch material that does not form a pouch when the hand is extended - will not be introduced in the recreational game until the start of the 2001 season. It will apply in the first-class game (including County 2nd XI matches) from April 2001, and in Test cricket from May 2001.

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