Sports Letters: Lightning? It's all tripe

Sir: As Geoffrey Boycott has pointed out, the new names of our county cricket teams are quite unsuitable. They have no relevance. For example: Lancashire Lightning may refer to the speed with which the team enters the bar at the end of a match, but has no reference to its cricket. Yorkshire can hardly have a Phoenix, since there are no Ashes to rise from in Yorkshire, or in England, for that matter.

What names would be more appropriate? Lancashire Tripe would be unkind and Lancashire Hotpots hardly justified. Yorkshire Puddings would be unfair and Yorkshire Relish is not really the answer. But for Lancashire, the obvious name which sums up the present team of one overseas player and 10 others, would be Srilankashire!

Lancashire have proved astute in engaging Muralitharan, but Yorkshire Blewett.

PETER REYNOLDS

Southport,

Lancashire