Middlesex latest club to ditch nickname

Middlesex have dropped their one-day nickname in a growing trend of counties reverting to using solely their traditional name.

Middlesex will no longer be known as the "Panthers" - the nickname adopted in 2009. Their original nickname "Crusaders" was dropped amid unsubstantiated rumours of complaints from the Muslim community.

The beginning of Twenty20 in 2003 saw every county adopt a nickname, some more loosely-associated than others. Many of these have been changed but the last few seasons have seen several abandoned completely.

Somerset were the first county to ditch their second name; "Sabers" was scratched in 2009. Since then, Surrey - once "Lions", then "Brown Caps", then back again - Glamorgan - ex-"Dragons" - Gloucestershire - no-longer "Gladiators" - and Hampshire - originally the "Hawks", they became the "Royals" in a celebrated tie-in with Rajasthan IPL franchise - have reverted back to their single name in one-day cricket.

"When we launched our one-day Panthers brand back in 2009, there was a strong desire for each of the counties to have a vibrant and dynamic one-day name and image," Middlesex chief executive, Vinny Codrington, said.

"A lot has changed in Middlesex cricket over the last five years and we at the county club have been and continue to work tirelessly with the Middlesex Cricket Board to engage with and immerse ourselves into the many cricket communities that reside within each of the seventeen regional boroughs that populate the county of Middlesex.

"We therefore felt that one clear, consistent and immediately recognisable brand would offer greater clarity and assist us in terms of our awareness and recognition within and around the county and further afield as this work continues at pace.

"We are looking forward to being known now simply as 'Middlesex CCC', which to anyone in the game of cricket is a name that immediately invokes feelings of heritage, success and respect - values which we, as a club, pride ourselves on."

The club's mascot - Pinky the Panther - will survive despite the nickname being dropped. The club's junior membership will also continue to carry the "Panthers" moniker.

Several eyebrow-raising nicknames still remain. Derbyshire have changed theirs three times - the quite bizarre "Scorpions" until 2005 and the "Phantoms" until 2010 before settling on "Falcons" after the Peregrine falcon nesting in Derby cathedral.

Northamptonshire are the Steelbacks, Durham are now the Jets after a sponsorship deal with Emirates Airlines and Lancashire the "Lightning" - presumably due to the poor Manchester weather. Worcestershire took on a weather-theme to rename their one-day side the "Rapids" in light-hearted reference to the floods common at New Road.

Two nicknames can claim to be legitimate - Warwickshire and Leicestershire have traditionally been referred to as the Bears and Foxes respectively.