February 05, 2008	Tuesday	Muharram 26, 1429

LONDON, Feb 4: English cricket will receive around 30 million pounds from the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) over the next five years to help improve facilities and boost club cricket. The plans include a desire to install floodlights at every county ground, which will account for about £9 million of the total.

“We feel we need considerably more experience playing day-night games,” Giles Clarke, the ECB’s chairman, said. “Secondly, the spectators have considerably greater ease coming to watch cricket in the early and late evening. If we’ve got floodlights, we are in a position to do that.”

A further £6 million will be put towards improving drainage at international venues. The remaining sum, in the region of £14 million, will be given to more than 2,000 community clubs.

The additional money on offer will come from increased revenue from broadcast deals as well as escalating monies from gate receipts. “This is a major commitment to invest in all areas of cricket,” Clarke said. “Cricket in England and Wales has never seen this level of financial support.”

Some of the projects in the five-year strategy include:

ECB grant aid of £14 million for 2000 community clubs.

Nine million pounds for grants for international standard floodlighting at all county headquarter grounds.

Six million pounds for installation of Lord’s-style drainage at all international venues with subsequent roll-out to all counties.

A doubling of funding to enhance cricket in schools amounting to a total value of £5m.

Five million pounds for county venues to achieve model status in each category of the ECB facility plan by 2011. Differential Fee Payments to Category C venues.—Agencies