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Winning England loses in ticket sales
LEEDS, England (AP) -- England may have at last created a winning cricket team, but it has turned out to be a big financial loser. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) wrote more than a million dollars off in lost revenue in three cricket test against the West Indies because two of the matches finished in three days and the other in two. That means seven days lost in ticket sales. Having failed to secure series wins against top rated test nations, England stands on the brink of an historic series win against the West Indies after taking an unbeatable 2-1 lead in a five match series on Friday. The home side became the first team in 54 years to win a test inside two days when it handed out an embarrassing an innings and 39 runs defeat to the West Indies. The performance even overshadowed the start of the English soccer's Premier League, kicking the soccer stories off the front and back pages of Saturday's papers. But the success has come at a price. The two day finish at Headingley cost the home Board US$720,000 in ticket sales. This added to the US$560,000 it lost in the first and second tests at Edgbaston and Lord's at the start of the five-match series. "As far as we're concern you can't put a price of a successful test match side," said Andrew Walpole, ECB's media relations manager. "This couldn't have been better timed. We're looking for a new test match sponsor for next season and it is going to help the ECB enormously." But he pointed out a significant portion of ECB's revenue came from sponsors and broadcasters and the money generated from ticket sales did not over-ride it. All test matches played are insured against washout but it doesn't cover early finishes that have become a norm during the current test series. Only the rain-hit third cricket test lasted five days at Old Trafford when it ended in a listless draw.
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