npower, the essential services provider, today announced a three year sponsorship deal worth over £11million with the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) that will see the company become title sponsors of England's home Test Series up to and including the summer of 2003.

The sponsorship will begin immediately with npower in place as title sponsor for the first two Tests of this summer against Pakistan, followed by the five-match Ashes series against Australia.

The company, which also sponsors ITV's 'The Bill' and the FA Premier League, takes over Test Match sponsorship following Cornhill's decision to step down last year after a 23-year relationship with the sport.

The sponsorship, which will see matches referred to as the npower Test Series, heralds a new phase of npower's extending product portfolio from electricity and gas to npower insurance services and, in due course, npower telecoms.

A new npower trophy will be presented to the winners of each npower Test Series alongside traditional trophies such as the 'Ashes' urn for the England v Australia Test Series.

Announcing the new sponsorship deal, ECB Chief Executive Tim Lamb said: 'We are pleased to have secured npower as a major new sponsor of Test cricket and look forward to developing an excellent relationship with them in our efforts to broaden the game's appeal to a new generation of cricket-watchers.

'There is huge demand for tickets for this summer's international programme. More than half of all tickets for the 'Ashes' series have already been sold and in order to stimulate spectator interest still further we shall be offering free admission to children under 16 on the last scheduled day's play of each npower Test Match.'

npower's Managing Director (Residential) David Andrew said, 'The npower Test Series is a win-win situation for all parties - customer or fan. It spreads the message of better deals on our expanding range of home and business services to customers and will work to enhance the game of cricket for fans. The npower Test Series heralds an exciting introduction to npower insurance and will put cricket and npower's growing product range centre stage this summer.

'By initiating npower insurance services, we are creating a brand in a category where people need trust. The npower Test Series will help us communicate our commitment to the brand and our new services and show our customers we are a brand to trust.'

England captain Nasser Hussain said: 'All the England players are relishing the prospect of taking part in the first npower Test Series. Australia and Pakistan are both top sides with world-class players in their ranks and I'm sure that all cricket fans can look forward to an exciting and closely-fought summer of Test cricket.'

As part of the contract negotiated by ECB's Commercial Department in conjunction with its commercial agency, Sportsworld Media and Marketing (formerly known as Sports and Outdoor Media), npower have also agreed an innovative affinity deal with the ECB which aims to generate significant amounts of additional funds to be ploughed back into all areas of the domestic game including grass-roots initiatives.

For more information contact:

Geraldine Dunne at npower
Tel: 01905 746940
Mobile: 07989 493513
Email: Geraldine.dunne@npower.com

Andrew Walpole, Mark Hodgson or Clare Fathers -
ECB Corporate Affairs Department
Tel: 020 7432 1200

Marcus Wight MD at Sportsworld Media and Marketing
Tel: 0207 3166950
Mobile: 0976 425846
Email: Mwight@somi.co.uk

PR for npower: Tim Collins at John Taylor International
Tel: 020 8879 5780
Mobile: 0966 552740
Email: timc@john-taylor.com

© ECB