Prize money at the Mark Bates Ltd National Championships has been increased by 25% thanks to the title sponsor of the event.

As part of its sponsorship of the flagship tournament, Mark Bates Limited has added to the prize fund provided by Table Tennis England, taking the total to £7,880.

The winners of the Men’s Singles and Women’s Singles will each take home £1,000 and the runners-up £500. With increases for losing semi-finalists and quarter-finalists, singles prize money is up by 25.3%

Prize money across the board, including under-21 and para events, has been increased by a minimum of 20% in each category, while the increase in Men’s Doubles and Women’s Doubles is 33%.

The tournament is at the University of Nottingham from February 28 to March 1.

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Mark Bates, Managing Director of Mark Bates Limited, said: “I feel that prize money in table tennis is often low compared to other sports and that the incredible effort that is required to become a National Champion needs to be rewarded.

“We have increased the prize money by 25%, and hope that we can gradually build on this over the next five years of our partnership with Table Tennis England.”

Sara Sutcliffe, Chief Executive of Table Tennis England, said: “This is a further illustration of the commitment of Mark Bates Limited to supporting the National Championships – I’m sure it will be appreciated by the players.

“There is a lot more to come from our partnership, with both Mark Bates and ourselves determined to build a lasting legacy from this partnership, at all levels of the sport.”