Worcestershire go with the flow

The flood waters from the River Severn may have receded but the Rapids are about to rise at New Road as 2014 will see Worcestershire County Cricket Club transform into the Worcestershire Rapids for NatWest T20 Blast.

After suffering some of the worst flooding ever experienced at their much-loved Worcester ground, there is no denying Worcestershire's sense of humour.

Worcestershire opted to drop the Royals part of their branding last season as it clashed with the name intended to be used in the short form of the game by Hampshire.

The new Rapids nickname might smack of an American influence, but there is a more painful aspect behind the brand change after a winter in which New Road predictably caught the brunt of the UK's wettest winter on record.

Worcestershire's business development director Jon Graham said: "We did a lot of internal soul searching over the last 12 months to come up with an identity that people can relate to. We should never forget the resilience of this fantastic club as we always come back in the face of adversity."

Worcestershire must hope that the name is not taking too literally and that trophies only come along once a flood.