A high profile and emotional victory in cricket’s showpiece event reaped huge dividends for the Oval group, chief sponsor of the triumphant Leicestershire team.
The Friends Life Twenty20 Final earned massive exposure for the Oval brand and strengthened the company’s successful association with the world of cricket.
Oval CEO Phillip Hodson, a former Yorkshire player, is President Elect of the MCC, the world’s most famous cricket club, whose members include cricketing legends such as Sir Ian Botham and Sir Garfield Sobers.
The Leicestershire result is a welcome return on its investment for the insurance broking and financial services group, which has been instrumental in turning round the fortunes of “the Foxes” since becoming main sponsor. Oval has developed a strong connection with Leicestershire that has helped the Club overcome financial difficulties. In return, the club provides traditional sponsorship benefits as well as helping Oval to develop new business relationships in the East Midlands and the world of cricket.
The Oval name features on Leicestershire’s team shirts, earning hours of prime time television exposure during Twenty20 matches, as well as pages of national and regional newspaper coverage.
Oval’s East Midlands Managing Director, Stephen Foot, said: “As proud sponsors of Leicestershire County Cricket Club, we are absolutely delighted with this result. The team played a phenomenal game of cricket and thoroughly deserved the win.
We have had a relationship with the Club for over 25 years, initially as their insurance broker, and we then developed the relationship to include sponsorship. There has been excellent commitment by the Club to work with the Oval group to develop our profile and develop our business too.”
Leicestershire’s star wicketkeeper Paul Nixon said: “I’m overjoyed to have won the trophy with the support of Oval group as head sponsors, who backed us through thick and thin. I’d like to personally thank both Stephen Foot and Phillip Hodson, and it’s wonderful we’ve won this trophy in the year that Phillip is President Elect of the MCC. It’s so important for us at Leicestershire to be backed by quality companies, and we’re absolutely delighted with our Oval group partnership.”
The Twenty20 triumph was especially emotional for Nixon. It was the last game in his career, and he marked it with a flying catch to dismiss Somerset’s danger man, Kieron Pollard.
The Foxes reached the Final when Will Jefferson hit a winning six in the one-over eliminator – the cricketing equivalent of football’s penalty shootout - against Lancashire after a drawn semi-final. In the Final itself, Josh Cobb took four wickets and was named man of the match.
Two days after the Twenty20 victory, the Oval name was on show again in front of a sell-out crowd at Grace Road as Leicestershire took on India ahead of the tourists’ one-day series against England.
For further media information contact Duncan Hopwood or Kirsty Wilby on 0116 254 4472 or email kirsty@hopwood.co.uk