New Zealand's six major cricket associations have achieved a world-first today by all contracting their Internet sites with CricInfo, the world's leading cricket web site.

The agreement follows CricInfo gaining New Zealand Cricket's Internet contract earlier this year.

CricInfo New Zealand's chief executive Adrian Motherway said today that New Zealand was the first country among the cricket nations to have all its first-class associations and their parent body together in the CricInfo camp.

"One of our first goals after signing New Zealand Cricket (NZC) was to make nzcricket.co.nz the ultimate hub for cricket information in this country and to achieve that we had to sign all six associations.

"Through the five-year relationship we have signed we aim to provide a service from club cricket up.

"All six provincial sites, and the NZC site, will be launched at the NZC season launch in Auckland on December 1," he said.

CricInfo is also sponsoring the Women's World Cup in Christchurch, which will be in action by the time of the launch.

"It is the start of a new era in New Zealand. We will provide an unprecedented level of cricket coverage for New Zealanders and overseas for expatriates who want to keep up with the play," Motherway said.

CricInfo will provide its online ball-by-ball scoring for international, Shell Trophy, Shell Cup, Shell Max matches, along with match reports and analysis, interviews, profiles, statistics, columns, photographs and cumulative run and wicket tables and points tables for the various competitions.

More than 350 days of cricket are to be played over a period of 151 calendar days during the summer and CricInfo anticipates it will have live coverage of over 270 of these.

"The site will have a full-time team of cricket and technology experts dedicated to providing the most comprehensive and immediate coverage ever provided in New Zealand," Motherway said.

"Cricket is blazing a trail for other sports in New Zealand to follow.

"The site nzcricket.co.nz will be like the best fast bowlers; quick, accurate and striking at the heart of the game.

"First we had print, then radio and television. Now we've got the Internet - it just keeps getting better," Motherway said.

Auckland Cricket Association chief executive Lindsay Crocker said: "It's a sensational idea. The key thing is we will have our site run by professional people and we will be able to take advantage of the world's biggest site. We appreciate the value of a site to us but haven't got the resources to constantly update it."

Otago Cricket Association (OCA) chief executive Graham Elliott said the OCA had talked about establishing a site but was restrained and would have waited another year if doing it on its own.

"We are delighted that a site will be up and running this year and the relationship with CricInfo is superb as far as we are concerned," he said.

Northern Districts looked at the site management by CricInfo as a chance to grow its business in cricket, its chief executive John Turkington said.

"It's a very good relationship we have now, its potential is huge and it is great to be involved in the biggest sports site in the world," he said.

Central Districts Cricket Association chief executive Blair Furlong said: "CricInfo is a dedicated cricket site and cricket followers will know they will be able to get information through it. It is instant and to be involved in an up to date cricket news service is great."

Cricket Wellington chief executive Ervin McSweeney said that for an association with a high membership base like Wellington enjoyed, the opportunities provided by the relationship with CricInfo were limitless.

Canterbury Cricket Association chief executive Tony Murdoch said: "We're delighted with the relationship we have forged with CricInfo. It is an all-embracing concept and we look forward to the web site being able to serve the needs of all cricketers in Canterbury."

© CricInfo