On a day when the new Wisden Almanack put the writing on the wall of the "Victorian institution" that is county cricket, the two men and a dog who regularly attend championship matches received some good news with the announcement of a new sponsor. This season, they don't need to risk becoming a pariah by saying they spent the day at the cricket; instead, they can proudly tell their friends they were watching a Frizzell County Championship match. if nothing else, it should be guaranteed to silence any inquisitor.

The Liverpool Victoria Friendly Society are the new sponsors of domestic cricket, replacing Cricinfo in a four-year deal that is worth around £1m to the ECB. They will also become sponsors of the Women's County Championship.

"I am delighted to welcome Liverpool Victoria and its Frizzell brand into cricket sponsorship," the ECB's chief executive, Tim Lamb, said. "The County Championship is the oldest domestic competition and it provides the major platform for the development of our future Test-match players."

With a name like Liverpool Victoria, the LV County Championship seemed a perfectly natural, inoffensive tag. After all, LG sponsored the recent India-England one-day series and nobody blinked an eye.

But after a winter notable for barnstorming performances on the international stage from Adam Gilchrist and Nathan Astle, it was obviously decided that county cricket needed something a bit more box-office, hence the use of LV's "affinity brand" Frizzell.

Attempting to make cricket sexy is one thing, but this is ridiculous. The county championship is the oldest cricket competition around, dating back to 1890, and jazzing it up in such a way is like buying a middle-aged man a pair of tight leather trousers.

The Frizzell County Championship offers untold scope for bad puns. How long before a match is stopped by drizzle? WIll the season fizzle out? And with Norwich Union giving up their sponsorship of the one-day league at the end of the summer, the possibilities are endless. If the crisps-maker Smiths got the contract, we would have the Frizzells and the Frazzles leagues. Or maybe a confectioner might win the vote, thus allowing counties to compete for the Frizzells Championship and the Swizzels League.

The Frizzell County Championship, won last year by Yorkshire, gets under way on April 19. Tickets are still available from all county grounds.

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd