An agreement for the group sponsorship of National Hunt jockeys at the Cheltenham Festival has finally been hammered out, despite the absence from the deal of several top Irish riders.

Final details will be revealed by the sponsors, plumbing suppliers Faucets, and the Jockeys' Association next week, although it is thought that Tony McCoy, Adrian Maguire, Norman Williamson and Mick Fitzgerald will pursue individual contracts for the Festival.

The deal, which will cover 50 riders and is believed to be worth £50,000, is set to begin on March 13th, the Saturday before the National Hunt Festival, and will run until the Whitbread Gold Cup on Saturday, April 24th.

The reluctance of some of jumping's top names to join the group agreement had been a stumbling block in negotiations, but Faucets manager Mel Davies, said yesterday: "It's a runner.

"It has not been formulated as yet - there are a few things to iron out - but we have reached an agreement and it has been given the go-ahead."

Davies reserved special praise for Jockeys' Association executive manager Michael Caulfield, and joint president Richard Dunwoody, who has consistently put the interests of jump jockeys as a whole before his own as an individual.

"I am grateful to Richard Dunwoody and Michael Caulfield for what they have done to support it, but I am disappointed with the lack of understanding of the concept shown by certain jockeys.

"One or two didn't seem to grasp the spirit of the exercise - it was done for the benefit of all jockeys, not one or two."