Race for Premiership cash bonanza heats up

LONDON: The race for a place in the Premier League reaches its climax on Sunday with eight clubs in the Championship (second division) still in the hunt for promotion.

West Bromwich Albion is all but assured of going up barring a freakish set of results but Stoke City, Hull City, Bristol City, Watford, Crystal Palace, Ipswich Town, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Sheffield United still harbor dreams of joining them.

The rewards for gaining promotion are enormous, with the Championship final playoff at Wembley Stadium on May 24 representing the biggest financial prize in world club soccer, worth around 60 million pounds ($119 million).