Hampshire cricket will break with tradition once again this summer - by wearing football-style shirts in the Frizzell County Championship.

Chairman Rod Bransgrove has already succeeded in turning Hampshire County Cricket Club into Hampshire Cricket, the cricketing arm of the county circuit's first public limited company.

And last month a public offering of shares was made in Rose Bowl plc with Bransgrove and chief executive Graham Walker hopeful of raising £5 million.

But the decision to wear named and numbered shirts in the four-day game is not unprecedented.

Lancashire had them on the back of special fleece shirts last year and pioneered the idea with safety pins more than 50 years ago.

Now Robin Smith's men will follow suit, although traditionalists will be pleased to know that the woollen jumpers will remain the same as the names would become unreadable once put through the wash!

Chairman Rod Bransgrove first unveiled the plan at the AGM two months ago but Hampshire Cricket have now been given the go-ahead by the ECB and the players will wear the shirts for the first time when they begin the season at Kent in 13 days' time.

Director of cricket Tim Tremlett said: "Lancashire used numbered shirts in the Championship last year where it went down particularly well with members and players.

"I gather they are used a lot in South Africa as well and they have obviously been a success in the one day game.

"Players are quite hard to distinguish from the stands and batsmen can be particularly hard to make out when they are wearing helmets so this should be a great help to spectators.

"It also means that the players will have no excuse for picking up the wrong shirt in the dressing room!"