Scotland loses ECB funding

Cricket Scotland will have its funding from the England & Wales Cricket Board phased out over the next two years as the ECB desperately looks to cut costs. The grant, which was £105,000 in 2003, will reduce to £70,000 this year, £35,000 in 2005 and nothing thereafter.

"The situation is unfortunate," said Euan McIntyre, operations director of Cricket Scotland. "We will simply have to identify alternative funding sources to address this shortfall."

It has been a bad month for Cricket Scotland. At the end of January it lost its chief executive when Gwynne Jones suddenly resigned for "personal reasons". He has yet to be replaced.

The news signals the start of some serious belt tightening within the ECB. Already penalised for refusing to play in Harare during last year's World Cup, it is thought that if it refuses to tour Zimbabwe in October it faces further financial penalties. There is also the possibility that the ICC Champions Trophy, due to be played in September, could be moved elsewhere.