Cricket Legends Shane Warne and Darren Gough to Participate at the Poker Ashes 2009

On May 22nd, 2009, four very lucky players of 888.com will join cricket greats Shane Warne and Darren Gough in competing for the Poker Ashes 2009 in Great Britain this summer. The events pits poker teams from the UK and Australia against each other in five "test matches" of No Limit Holdem poker and will be documented for Sky Sports in England in June 2009.

Legendary cricket player Warne will head the Australian team and Gough; the former Yorkshire captain will lead the English team. The winning team will win a total of $50,000 charitable donation to the non-profit group of its choice-either the Shane Warne Foundation in Australia or the Professional Cricket Association in Great Britain.

Warne said that Australians do not like to be edge out by English poker players. He added that Darren Gough and his British Poker Ashes team will face a formidable test from their team. While four of each poker team's six available slots will be filled by professional cricket players, 888.com is offering its members the opportunity to win one of the remaining slots via an online satellite.

Australian hopefuls can qualify for their online satellite final by winning the daily freeroll (which is held from Monday to Sunday at 8:00 p.m. AEST) or the daily $5 Poker Ashes satellite (8:45 p.m. AEST). The Australian satellite final will take place on June 7th, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. AEST. Their opponents in Great Britain can qualify for their satellite events by taking down a weekly freeroll event to be held Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. BST or by winning a $1 dollar satellite event to be held on Saturday through Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. BST.

The British satellite final will be on June 7th, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. BST. Qualifiers will receive an entry into the Poker Ashes, travel and accommodation expenses, $1,000 spending cost and a bag of cricket memorabilia.

06/07/2009, Sunday
Todd Sanders

Cricket Legends Shane Warne and Darren Gough to Participate at the Poker Ashes 2009

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