The England and Wales Cricket Board has signed a commercial deal with Admiral to become the official supplier of playing and training wear to all England Cricket teams - England, England A team, England Under 19, Under 17 and Under 15 teams and the England Women's team.

The association with Admiral, comes in to effect from March 2000 and will last for five years. The first time the English public see the England Test team performing in Admiral clothing will be in the first Cornhill Test Match of the 2000 season against Zimbabwe at Lord's on Thursday 18 May.

The deal also includes the rights to run the official on-line store for England cricket for the next three years. Cricket fans and enthusiasts from all over the world will soon be able to buy the official range of England team and other ECB merchandise via the world wide web. The address will be announced in due course.

Terry Blake, Marketing Director at the ECB, said, "We are delighted to have reached an agreement with Admiral. Good preparation is always essential when preparing for international cricket and the high quality clothing from Admiral will help us in this respect. I look forward to a successful partnership."

Lance Yates, Chief Executive, Hay & Robertson said, "We are very pleased to have reached this important agreement with ECB, to be associated with England's number one summer sport. The widespread coverage Admiral will gain through BSkyB and Channel 4 will enhance the re-establishment of Admiral as one of England's leading sports and leisure brands."

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For further information, please contact Mark Hodgson in Corporate Affairs: Tel: 0171 432 1251. Fax: 0171 289 5619. E-mail: mark.hodgson@ecb.co.uk